


One Drunken Night

by SpencerRemyLvr



Category: Criminal Minds, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Mpreg, One Night Stands, Spencer is a Summers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-10 21:09:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 68,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2040261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerRemyLvr/pseuds/SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another of the prompts I got. This one was "Drunken Mpreg" and the person asked for Spencer to be a Summers, and here's the clip I came up with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He didn't care what he looked like right then. Whoever was knocking at his door was just going to have to deal with it. Grabbing the front edges of his robe, he tucked one part in and then the other over it, folding one arm to hold it in place while his other hand reached out and yanked open the door. When he saw who was on the other side, he stood there for one single instant before shutting the door and turning to walk away. It only took a second before he heard the door open behind him and a warm laugh filled his apartment. "Hell of a greeting there, pidge. You look like shit, by the way. You sick or something?"

"Why no, whatever gave you that idea, Alex?" Spencer snapped out irritably. He stopped, turning to cast a glare at his brother. "Wait, I take that back. Yes, I am sick. Dreadfully, horribly sick and it is very, very contagious. You should leave, now, before you risk further infection."

Alex rolled his eyes and just strolled on in. "Ha, ha. Aren't you just a riot?" He made his way to Spencer's recliner and plopped himself down in it. "I was visiting our esteemed eldest yesterday and I promised him I'd stop in here and visit a bit before heading back home. He said something about you not checking in lately." Grinning up at him, Alex shook a finger. "Naughty, naughty, little Spencer. You know Scott gets his panties in a twist if we don't check in periodically with him."

When it became apparent that Alex definitely wasn't going anywhere, Spencer gave up on the idea of making him leave. He was too tired to try. Thankfully, the nausea seemed to be gone. Then again, it kept tricking him, going away until he'd eat something and then coming back. In between, he'd feel healthy as can be, albeit a bit tired. Then he'd eat something, bend the wrong way, catch a funny smell, and it was like instant sickness. Beyond tired from days of this, Spencer sighed and made his way to the couch, climbing onto it and curling up on his side. "Tell him I've been bent over my toilet, spewing up evil incarnate for the past four days. I'm so terribly sorry I haven't been checking in with him." Grabbing a throw pillow, Spencer pulled it close, resting his head on it. He had yet another headache that he knew came from his lack of nutrition. Ugh. He was going to have to go to the store and get something bland to eat before he made himself sicker by not keeping down any food or water. At least the crackers he randomly munched on stayed down. Unfortunately, he'd just finished the last of those about ten minutes ago, along with a glass of water. At least he'd managed to get something in him.

The humor wiped off Alex's face to be replaced with a bit of sympathy and concern. "You've been puking for four days? You gone to a doctor yet?"

"No. I don't need to see a doctor—I am one, and I prescribe silence and rest."

"You always did get snarky when sick." Alex said with a sigh. But he rose from the chair and made his way over, crouching down beside the couch. He brought one hand up, pressing it against Spencer's forehead, making the young genius blink open his eyes to stare blandly up at him. "You don't have a fever, pidge. But you look pale. Maybe we should get you to a doc while I'm here."

Pushing himself up a little, Spencer cast a glare at his brother. "Alex, I do not…" Oh no. Breathing in, Spencer drew in the scent of Alex's cologne and his stomach rolled. There was absolutely no time to move, no time to stop it. The water and crackers he'd managed to put in came racing up. Alex didn't stand fast enough and Spencer ended up throwing up all over his shoes. Despite the mess already made, Alex shoved the small living room waste basket under Spencer's face. While the young genius hurled, Alex got his shoes off and took them to a sink. Then he came back with a wad of paper towels to clean up the mess on the floor.

As soon as he got close, Spencer waved him back. "Go!" he managed to gasp out. He got his stomach under control enough that he could look up, snatching the roll of paper towels from Alex. "Go, go. Oh, man, go grab me disinfectant and get far, far away. Your cologne smells _horrible_. What on earth are you wearing? Liquefied waste?"

"You puke on me and then top it off by _insulting_ me? I'll have you know chicks like this smell! It smells just fine!"

"Ugh." Spencer used one paper towel to wipe off his mouth, tossing it into the waste basket. "They're lying to you, Alex. My stomach was fine until you got close enough for me to smell that."

Alex stomped into the kitchen, his scowl easy to hear in his voice. "Shit, pidge. You sound like my friend's wife when she was pregnant. She almost puked any time she smelled pizza on one…of…us…" Alex's voice trailed off. At the same time, Spencer had frozen, staring at the mess he'd just tossed into the garbage. One word kept ringing over and over in his mind. Pregnant. _Pregnant._ Holy shit. No, it wasn't possible. No! He hadn't….oh God, he _had_. In his head he did quick calculations, counting back to that fateful night, to the one night he tried not to think about and couldn't seem to avoid thinking about. Oh, no. _No_. He heard Alex say something to him but he couldn't focus on it. All he could focus on was that one word, over and over.

A hand cupped his elbow, lifting him up off the couch, helping him to his feet. "Come on, pidge. Go back to your room and get dressed." Alex said gently to him.

A little disoriented, Spencer looked back toward the floor. "The floor…" He'd gotten the mess up but he needed to use the disinfectant.

"I got it. Go get dressed, pidge." With a gentle hand, Alex propelled him back to the bedroom. "We're getting you in to the doc."

The doctor. Yeah, that was a good idea. Spencer made his way back toward his bedroom, one hand curling over his stomach. Pregnant. No, no, he was just overreacting. There was no way he was pregnant. Not from just one night.


	2. Chapter 2

“Congratulations, Dr. Reid. You’re eleven weeks pregnant.”

Those words seemed to be stuck on repeat in his mind. Spencer couldn’t seem to get past them. He’d been lucky Alex was there to take the paperwork from the doctor and to ask questions and get answers, because Spencer’s mind was stuck on that one sentence and he couldn’t seem to focus on the outside world. It was kind of like when he was focused on something for work; he pulled inside of his head, focused entirely on that one thing while the outside world shut off. He’d been known to walk into people or interrupt conversations when doing that because he was so focused on what he was thinking he paid no attention where he was going or what was happening around him.

When Alex led him out to the car, Spencer followed silently, his mind still racing. How could this happen to him? How the hell could this have happened? They’d used protection, hadn’t they? Yes, yes they had. He remembered reminding Remy, remembered watching the man stretch to his dresser and root around until he found one. They’d been so impatient, barely able to wait. Spencer remembered helping him slip it on, driving them both a little crazy. That memory washed over him and he shuddered a little. No, he didn’t need to think on that part of things. _Focus, idiot. Focus!_ It wasn’t like he didn’t know that a condom could break. Of course he knew that. But why him? Why now? Why _this_ timeout of any other time?

He stayed quiet as Alex drove to the local Wal-Mart. When his brother said he’d be right back, Spencer stayed in the car, staring out the window and thinking. What was he going to do now? How was he going to tell Remy about this? It didn’t even occur to him to keep this from the other man. There was no way he could do something like that. Remy had every right in the world to know. How badly would it mess up their already strained friendship, though? Ever since that night, their friendship had been different. Just as Spencer had known it would, it had messed up everything. They’d sent the occasional email, but they hadn’t spoken on the phone like they usually did. Usually they spoke at least once a week for sometimes a couple hours, just to catch up with one another. It was part of their routine that Spencer had come to rely on over the years. Remy was his best friend; talking to him was just a part of life. Yet now, now they didn’t do it. Now, things were strained, all because of one drunken night. And things were about to get even worse.

What about work? Was he going to be able to stay at work like this? JJ had worked straight up to the end of her pregnancy. Granted, she wasn’t out in the field in the sense that they were. She’d traveled with them but she’d stayed behind at the stations where it was, well, safer for her. But he was a _field agent_ , which naturally required him to go out into the _field_ , outside of the station. If he did that, he put the baby at risk. It was one thing to put himself at risk but another entirely to put an unborn child at risk. Even if he was willing to take that risk, which he wasn’t, his boss definitely wouldn’t be willing. Aaron would restrict him from the field most definitely. Would he make him go on leave, though? Or restrict him to Quantico?

Maybe they would let him stay on the team, but bring on someone else. Someone to fill in for him until such time as…what? There was more to this than the immediate future. What about once the child was born? If Remy didn’t want to be a part of the child’s life, then Spencer would be alone in this. Well, not technically alone. His brothers would never let him be alone, nor would his friends. But he’d be a single parent. Sure, Aaron was managing to do it, but he had Hayley’s sister to keep Jack. There was no one that lived nearby that would be open to be a full time caregiver for Spencer. Not that he’d want that anyways. He didn’t want a child of his growing up not knowing him.

If Remy did want to be a part of the child’s life, what would that mean for them? Splitting time back and forth between here and New York? Or moving to one place or the other? Even then, Remy was still part of the X-Men. There were times he’d have to leave on a mission at the drop of a hat. That meant that one of them would have to be willing to be a full time parent.

No matter which route he took, all of this was spelling out one thing. He was going to have to leave his job. The only other option would be to give the child up and he absolutely, positively refused to even entertain that notion. Oh, God, what was he going to do for work? Maybe there was a position he could take in Quantico that would keep him at home. Some way to still work, to still keep himself doing something. He wasn’t the type to just have nothing to do. He had to work, somehow. There were plenty of departments that could benefit from his mind. He’d been consulted for many things over the years. When he first applied at the Bureau, plenty of departments had wanted him there despite knowing that he was Gideon’s protégée. There had to be something he could do.

The sound of the car door opening caught Spencer’s attention and he looked up to see Alex sliding into the driver’s seat, twisting to put a bag behind him on the seat. He looked over and saw Spencer watching him while he straightened back out and shut his door. “I got the vitamins your doc prescribed and I picked up some saltines, some ginger ale and some of those gross ginger snaps you like so much.”

Despite himself, Spencer felt a small flare of humor. “Aren’t you just domestic sounding?”

Alex cocked an eyebrow at him before rolling his eyes. “Yeah, well don’t get used to it. I’m getting you home and dumping you in bed and that’s the extent of my niceness today. I’ll have to go blow something up just to feel manly again.”

A vibration in Spencer’s pocket took him away from any snarky comment he might’ve made in return. He pulled his phone out and, seeing it was Morgan, flipped it open and hit speaker out of habit. “Reid.”

“ _Hope you’re feeling better, kid. We’ve got a big case_.”

Spencer’s attention sharpened on his phone. “What do we have?”

“ _Child abduction in Newport, Oregon. Seven year old boy. Mom went into the store to grab something, turned around for a minute she swears and he was gone when she turned back_.”

Looking to Alex, Spencer said “The Bureau, quickly.” Then he turned back to the phone. “What’s the clock look like?”

“ _We’re lucky, we got in fast. It’s only been one hour and thirty six minutes_.”

“Add on five hours for flight time, round about, and it’ll be around seven hours, adding time for random variables, by the time we get there.” Spencer said quickly. He winced when his throat, sore from so much throwing up, protested the continued speech. He really needed to drink a little something.

“ _Round about. Hey, Reid, Hotch says he’s know you’re sick, but with Seaver still new around here, if you’re up for it we could really use the extra hands. If you’re not up for it, he understands. We can’t afford to get everyone sick, you know_.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m already in the car anyways and I keep my go-bag in here. I’ll be there shortly.”

“ _Just head straight to the jet, we’re on our way there. We’ll brief you on the rest en route. See you there, kid_.”

When Spencer hung up the phone, his mind was already racing with statistics and information, hurrying ahead to the case. He didn’t think about Alex’s reaction. But he got to hear it a second later. “What the hell, Spence? You can’t seriously be thinking about going out on a case, can you? You just found out you’re fucking pregnant and you want to go out in the field? Are you stupid?”

“Hm?” Turning, Spencer cast Alex a curious look. Then his face cleared a little as what Alex had said sank in. “Oh. They’ll keep me around the station with me being so nauseous. Don’t worry, Alex. The risk for myself on this case is minimal. Would you drive a little faster, though? Time is of the essence right now.” Considering the topic closed, Spencer laid his head back on the seat, trying to force down the sick feeling in his stomach. “We’re lucky we’re only one point five hours into the twenty four hour window. Forty four percent of child abductions die within the first hour, seventy five percent die within the first three, and virtually all of them are gone within twenty four hours. That’s why there are procedures in place for situations like this, so we can respond appropriately in the small window of time we have.”

“And you guys are like, the best of the best. So why not let them handle this? You need to take care of you. What good will you be if you puke all over the things you’re trying to work on?”

The mention of puke was enough to have Spencer wincing. “Stop that. I’ll be fine, Alex. I thought Scott was the overprotective brother, not you. You’re acting very strange today. Very domestic and parental. It’s starting to scare me.” Giving him a mini glare, he added “Knock it off.”

Alex growled and gripped the wheel tighter. Though it was obvious he didn’t like it, he took the exit needed to take them toward the jet to meet with the others. “I swear, I don’t know how Scott does it. You’re a stubborn fucking bastard.”

Mind already back on the case, Spencer waved a hand in his direction almost absently. “It’s a Summers trait.”

The rest of the car ride was quiet. When they pulled up at the airstrip, Spencer saw that the others were already there. He hurried to climb out of the car, going to the trunk to grab his go-bag. Alex met him there, his bag from the store in hand. “If you’re going to go, at least take the shit I bought with you. Maybe it’ll keep your stomach calm.” He thrust the bag at Spencer, who took it and put it inside his messenger bag. Alex sighed and glared at him. “And take your vitamin every day, you hear me? And don’t forget to sleep and eat. The doc said you’re underweight.”

“I think you need to see the doctor.” Spencer said with a shake of his head. He picked up his go-bag and shut the trunk, watching as a last SUV pulled in with Dave and Ashley inside of it. Ignoring them for the moment, Spencer looked at Alex one last time. “I’m telling you, I’ll be fine, Alex. You’re more than welcome to stay at my apartment while I’m gone if you’re going to be in town, but if you break anything, I’ll strangle you, and please replace any food you eat.” Pausing, Spencer cocked his head thoughtfully. “If I have any. I haven’t been shopping recently, so my stocks are probably rather low. Now, I’ll call when I’m on my way back home to see if you’re still here.”

“You’ll call me tonight or I’ll fly out there and punch you.” Alex threatened.

Spencer’s response was to roll his eyes. He made a sound of surprise when he was suddenly grabbed in a headlock and Alex ran his knuckles over his hair before quickly letting go. “Go to work, pidge. Talk to you tonight.”

Straightening his hair, Spencer glared at him and turned to hurry toward the jet. He saw Dave and Ashley right by the stairs, grinning at him. Flushing slightly, Spencer smoothed his hair a little more. Dave gestured for him to proceed them up the stairs, grinning as he teased “Good to see you feeling better, kiddo.”

Spencer snorted and hurried up the stairs. “That’s not exactly what I’d call it.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man before.” Ashley said behind him. “A good friend of yours, Reid?” The question was asked in a friendly, teasing sort of manner. With as new as she was to the team, Ashley had never heard about Alex or Scott, seeing as how Spencer still hadn’t told anyone else at the Bureau. Only his team knew about them. Well, the team minus Ashley. The topic simply hadn’t come up before. Now, he scowled, dropping off his go-bag in the luggage area. “Absolutely not.” He answered her. “On a good day, he’s my brother. On a bad day, he is the bane of my existence and an absolute moron. Today is one of those days.” He said the last part as he stepped into the main area of the jet where the rest of the team was waiting.

Morgan grinned up at him. “Bane of your existence and a moron? You must be talking about Alex.”

“Yes. He dropped me off.” Spencer rubbed a hand absently over his stomach as he made his way to the couch. Forget one of the seats, he wanted the couch. Then he could curl up in a corner and hopefully get rid of this nauseous feeling. He really, really couldn’t afford to throw up right now. When Aaron passed him files, he settled in and was preparing to read when Aaron said “Are you sure you’re well enough to do this, Reid?”

His usual answer would’ve been ‘I’m fine’, but he couldn’t make himself say the words, so he opted instead for an edited kind of honesty. “I’m not the best, but so long as I stick to the station I should be fine. I can still provide assistance from there, however.”

“All right. If at any point you feel you can’t handle it, tell me.” And with that, Aaron turned and started the briefing.


	3. Chapter 3

There was no time for Spencer to even focus on not feeling well once they arrived in Newport. The team was moving from the instant they touched ground. Spencer threw himself into his work even more than normal, using it not only as a way to distract from the almost constant nauseous feeling but from everything the doctor had said as well. If once or twice—okay, seven times, but who was counting?—he had to sneak way to the bathroom when his stomach decided that it was going to do what it wanted whether he liked it or not, well, he could deal with that. He was grateful for the ginger ale that Alex had sent with him, though. It seemed to help keep the nausea at bay enough for him to do his job.

They were equally lucky with their case. When they arrived, the clock was at seven hours and twenty three minutes. They found seven year old Gregory Tumbton at fifteen hours, twelve minutes, and they found him alive. Their Unsub, the boy’s Uncle, was taken into custody and Gregory was taken to the hospital where his parents met him. The boy was going to need a little medical attention and he would definitely need therapy, but he was going to be okay.

Now the team was back on the jet and already on their way back home. Without the presence of the case to distract him, and now that the adrenaline rush that came with working a timed case like this had worn off, Spencer was keenly feeling his exhaustion. He took one of the seats at the back of the jet, curling his legs up to his chest and folding his arms over his stomach, hoping he could be left alone to maybe get a little bit of sleep. Unfortunately, it seemed like that wasn’t to be the case. Ashley made her way to him, sliding into the seat across the table from him. It wasn’t hard for him to read the curiosity coming from her. It didn’t take long for him to find out why, either. “So,” she said slowly, a little smile on her lips. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

Yeah, that’s what he’d pretty much figured this conversation was going to be. Why was this a subject that seemed to be so important to people? Slightly annoyed and not quite able to explain why, Spencer resisted rolling his eyes. “I do have a brother, more than one actually, but that’s not what I would classify Alex. I’m still convinced he’s a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong, but Scott refuses to let me run tests on him, so my hypothesis has gone sadly untested.”

He felt her surprise just moments before he felt humor from around him. Morgan walked up, taking the seat beside Ashley, while Emily took the seat at Spencer’s side. Really? They were going to box him in like this? Could no one see that he didn’t feel well and that he wanted to be left alone?

“You can practically feel the familial love, pretty boy.” Morgan teased him. He gave Ashley a smile. “Ignore him. You wouldn’t know it, but he and Alex do love one another. They just have that brotherly relationship that requires frequent insults and beatings.”

“Not frequent enough.” Spencer grumbled.

Emily put a hand on his arm, drawing his attention to her. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay, Reid? You’ve been really pale this whole time and you look exhausted.”

He wanted to answer her, really he did, but in that instant all he could smell was her perfume. A perfume he’d smelled countless times before and had always thought was pleasant. Slightly feminine, with just a little hint of something more to it that made it suit her very, very well. Now? Just as Alex’s cologne had, this scent had Spencer’s stomach rebelling. Before there was a repeat of his performance with Alex, he pressed a wrist against his mouth and made a gesture at her to move, now, now, oh hurry up! She got the hint and hurried upright and Spencer almost fell over scrambling to get past her and toward the bathroom. By sheer luck he made it, dropping to his knees in front of the toilet and emptying up the ginger ale he’d managed to drink. His knee throbbed from the impact of hitting and his head seemed to want to split open with his headache, but he stayed there even after he was done, just to make sure nothing more was coming. Only when he was sure it was safe to move did he rise and pull out the mouthwash from his messenger bag. When his mouth was rinsed and no longer tasted so foul, he slowly made his way back out.

Seeing the others still sitting in the back, Spencer ignored them and instead took one of the couches, not really caring what they thought as he laid down and curled up on his side. He set his bag on the floor beside him, not having let it be far from him all day. He wanted to keep his supply of crackers close, since sometimes they seemed to take the nausea away. If the others thought it strange or rude that he hadn’t come back over there, well, he’d apologize for it later. Right now he just wanted to try and sleep this trip away and go back home to his bed. If he was lucky, Alex would be gone.

Sleep came fast for Spencer. Fast enough that he didn’t even notice as someone laid a blanket over him and dimmed the lights above his head.

He didn’t stir again until Morgan was there, gently shaking him awake. “Hey, kid. Time to wake up. We’ll be landing soon.”

Blinking to try to clear his eyes, Spencer had to take a second to remember where he was. That was right, he was on the jet, apparently almost at home. He started to try to sit up when his head spun a little. Morgan’s hand on his arm steadied him, helping him up. “Listen, before you bite my head off for saying this, I’m just concerned, all right? Maybe you should go see a doctor when we get home.”

“I’m fine.” Even to Spencer that sounded weak.

Aaron looked over from his seat and gave Spencer a stern look. “Morgan’s right. You should set up an appointment for in the morning. And I don’t want to see you back at work until this has run its course. You probably shouldn’t have come on this case at all, Reid.”

Well, hell. That really wasn’t leaving him much option but to at least tell them something. “Alex and I just finished at the doctor right before I got Morgan’s call.”

“Ah, that explains the extra grumpiness toward him.” Morgan said with a knowing grin. He ruffled Spencer’s hair a little. “Forced you to go, did he?”

Despite the annoyance at the teasing, Spencer did grin a little at the memory that came up. “He did, after I threw up on his shoes.” Pausing, he let his smile grow a little. “I hope they were new. I hope it stained.” For a moment he entertained himself with that image. Then he realized that everyone was staring at him and he flushed a little. “What? He deserves it!” he defended himself. “I consider it payback. The last time he was here, he hid half of my clothes in the crawlspace so I couldn’t find anything to go to the store in. The only things he left me were a bright pink pair of pajama pants and a sequined purple shirt he’d brought with him just for that purpose.”

Laughter echoed around the jet. Even Aaron was grinning at him, not even bothering to hide it. Dave turned in his seat so he could look at him. “You actually went to the store dressed like that?”

“Of course not!” Spencer sounded absolutely offended by the idea. “I took his laptop and threatened to fry it if he didn’t give me back my clothes.”

“You two have a very unique bond.” Shaking his head, Dave chuckled.

As the teasing went around the jet, Spencer silently thanked his ability to distract his friends. At least, he thought he had managed it. But when the jet landed and everyone got off, Aaron called his name and asked him to stay a moment. Morgan brushed a hand over his arm and told him “I’ll wait outside and give you a ride home.” Before he headed off the jet. When it was empty, Aaron gestured toward the couch. Spencer was nervous as he sat down.

Aaron wasted no time in getting to his point. “Reid, I watched you on this case and I watched you just a bit ago when we brought up you seeing a doctor. I’m going to be blunt because I know you’re ready to go home and because I know that you don’t like word games on the best of days. As your boss, I need to know this. Are you pregnant?”

Because it was in his files, Aaron was one of the few that knew that Spencer was one of the rare men with the capability to get pregnant and carry a baby. The only other person on the team that knew, as far as Spencer knew, was Morgan, and that was because they were close friends and he’d shared that once with Morgan when they’d been drinking together at Spencer's place.

Spencer looked down at his lap, suddenly finding it hard to speak. He nodded, throat flexing before he finally managed to force out the words “Eleven weeks.”

“As your friend, I’ll ask…are you okay?”

That surprised Spencer. Why, he didn’t know. Aaron was more caring than many people thought he was and he’d been kind to Spencer plenty of times over the years. Yet something about this time both surprised and touched Spencer. He started to nod again before changing it to a shrug instead. “I, I don’t know. I’ve been trying not to think about it, really. I was just focusing on the case. I just found out right before Morgan called me to come on the case.”

“I don’t mean to be indelicate, Reid…”

Spencer knew where that was heading before Aaron even formed the question and he saved the man from having to ask it. “I know who the father is. I just…don’t know how he’s going to feel about this. Or how I’m going to tell him.” One of Spencer's hands came up, pressing over his stomach. He felt sick once more but this time he knew it was from his own fears and nerves. To his utter horror, he felt moisture build in his eyes. _You are not going to cry! You are especially not going to cry in front of your boss! Absolutely not!_ Yet no matter what his mind screamed, his traitorous body had different ideas. He looked down at his lap, blinking rapidly to try and dispel the tears. Yet the more he tried to stop them, the more they came.

A few tissues suddenly appeared in front of him. He’d barely noticed Aaron moving. But his boss was beside him, holding tissues out for him, and Spencer was beyond mortified. Aaron saw and chuckled a little. “Reid, I have a son. I’ve been through the pregnancy route with Hayley. Trust me, you’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. Tears are a common thing early on with hormone surges. Don’t worry about it. There were times Hayley cried because I forgot to say good morning, or because a piece of laundry got folded wrong. It’s normal.”

“Thank you.” Still blushing, Spencer took the tissues and wiped his cheeks, wanting nothing more than to hide right then.

Aaron put a hand on his shoulder in a friendly, comforting sort of way. Spencer actually felt the reassurance the man was sending his way. “I’m not going to pry any further because really, I know it’s not my business. But I am going to say that it looks like there are a few things you need some time to work out, and I doubt you could handle being at work right now anyways. On that note, I want you to take the next two weeks off, Reid. No.” He added the last when Spencer's head shot up, a protest on his lips. “I’m not debating this. That not only gives you time to think and figure out what it is you want to do, but it also allows your body time to adjust and maybe some of the morning sickness will have tapered down by then, or you’ll have learned ways to help out with it. Either way, this is not an option, Reid. Take the two weeks, come to terms with this, figure out what you want to do, and rest. Right now, you need to focus on this, not on cases. Are we clear?” When Spencer nodded, he rubbed his shoulder a little before letting go. “Good. Now head home. I’ll see you back at work in two weeks. And Reid? If you need anything, do not hesitate to call. All of us will be there for you in any way that you need.”

Spencer rose to his feet, wiping one last time at his face. “Thanks, Hotch.”

“Anytime.”

The two men made their way off the jet, getting their bags from luggage along the way. When they got out there, Spencer didn’t see Morgan anywhere, but he did see Alex standing nearby. How had he known that they were back? As soon as he thought it, Spencer had the answer. Garcia. She’d probably called to let him know, knowing that he’d been dropped off on the way there. That was…nice.

When Spencer got close, Alex took one look at his face and instantly he was worried. “What happened?” Striding forward, he brought a hand up, stroking it over Spencer's cheek. “You’ve been crying. What happened, pidge?”

Heat flooded Spencer's face. “Nothing. I’m fine, Alex.”

“Bull. Your eyes are all red and I can still see the tear tracks.” Despite the attitude in the words, Alex very obviously was worried and his hand was gentle where it touched Spencer's cheek. “What happened?”

“It’s just hormones.” Embarrassed, Spencer ducked down away from his hand. “I was telling Hotch about, about this and the hormones made me a little emotional, that’s all. Now can we please head home? I feel like I’m going to fall asleep on my feet.”

It wasn’t an inaccurate description. Alex got them to the car and within five minutes of leaving, Spencer was sound asleep. He didn’t even wake up once they got to the apartment and Alex tried calling his name. With as much as the two fought, it probably would’ve surprised others to see the tender look that crossed Alex’s face when he picked his baby brother up out of the car and easily carried him inside. He got Spencer into his bedroom and tucked into bed, shoes and slacks on the ground, tie tossed over a chair. He made sure to set a bottle of ginger ale by the side of the bed and some crackers as well and then he made his way back out to the living room.

The whole time Spencer had been gone, Alex had been debating back and forth what he should do. He’d put off calling Scott, not wanting to piss off Spencer and not really wanting to come off like a tattle tale. But something about all of this just didn’t seem right and it had Alex worried. Spencer wasn’t dating anyone; they would know if he was. The kid just couldn’t keep something like that a secret. Plus, Alex knew—though he was pretty positive that Scott didn’t—that Spencer was head over heels in love with Remy. But Remy was dating that Rogue girl and he looked at Spencer like a best friend and nothing more. So who the hell was the other father of this kid? The way Spencer acted about it, Alex doubted the answer to that question was good. Spencer didn’t act like someone elated to find this kind of news out. He acted almost terrified.

It was that thought that was the final decision maker for Alex. If this was enough to scare Spencer then it was something that he was going to need his family there for. That meant it was time to call in reinforcements, no matter how pissed off it ended up making Spencer—and oh, he could just see Spencer's tantrum now.

Going to the kitchen, Alex set about making a pot of coffee, knowing he was probably going to need it for this phone conversation. It was going to take skill to keep Scott from coming straight out here. Once he had the coffee going, he the cordless phone off the wall and hopped up onto Spencer's kitchen counter as he dialed a familiar number. In just a few rings, Scott’s voice was in his ear. “Hey, Spence.”

“Wrong brother.” Alex quipped. “Just lil ol me.”

“Alex. So you did stop in and see him. What’s going on with him?”

Yeah, that wasn’t creepy at all. Scott always seemed to know when there was something going on with them. It was this weird extra sense that Spencer and Alex had decided a long time ago had to be some extra part of Scott’s mutation, like a minor bit of precog. It only seemed to work with family, though. No one else. “What makes you think there’s something wrong?” he stalled. Even though he’d decided that telling Scott was smart, he felt slightly guilty doing it, knowing just how pissed it was going to make the kid. “Can’t I just call for a friendly chat?”

“At seven a.m.? No, I don’t think so. Let’s try this again. What’s going on with him, Alexander Lee Summers?”

The use of his full name always made Alex feel like a kid caught doing something wrong, not to mention the tone that he said it in. It was the tone Scott took when he was pissed and you knew you were about to get your ass reamed for doing something that was stupid. Couple it with his ‘no nonsense’ tone and yeah, it meant he needed to answer now or risk the wrath of Scott. That thought made him want to snicker and he vaguely wished Spence was there so he could mumble it to him. It would make him laugh. Alex forced the thought back and drew himself to the present moment. Time to get this show on the road. “When I showed up, he was sick. Like, puked on my shoes kind of sick. I got him to a doc and got him checked out.”

When Alex trailed off, Scott prompted “And?”

 _Here goes nothing. Sorry, pidge. But it’s in your best interest._ “He’s eleven weeks pregnant.”

There was a long moment of silence before Scott started to curse in his ear. Alex had to hold the phone away for a moment to give his ear a break as Scott finally wound down. He hopped off the counter, preparing a cup of coffee and bracing for what he knew was coming next. Sure enough, when the swearing was done, the first thing Scott said was “I’m on my way.”

“No, you’re not.” Adding a little milk to his coffee—milk he’d had to go and _buy_ , seeing as how Spencer was a dumb fuck with no damn food in his house!—Alex took a deep breath and tried to be as persuasive as possible. “What good is it gonna do to swamp him? He just found out yesterday morning and he’s still reeling from it. Apparently all the nausea he thought was a cold is morning sickness and he’s beyond tired. The doc said it’s all normal. I guess it hits some harder than it does others.”

“Mom was the same way. I don’t remember a lot from when she was pregnant with you, but I remember she was sick as could be with Spencer at first. Just the smell of some things made her sick.”

A wry grin curled Alex’s lip. “Little shit definitely has that. He threw up on my fucking shoes and then had the nerve to tell me it was because my cologne smelled like liquefied waste.” As he listened to Scott chuckle, Alex hopped back up on the counter, coffee in hand. He took that first bracing sip and sighed. “Listen, I took care of a few things and I made sure my schedule’s clear for the next couple weeks. I’m gonna stay here with him, keep an eye on him, make sure he takes his vitamin and eats and all that kind of shit. If you rush out here, we’re just gonna crowd him and freak him out more. And he’s freaked out, Scott.”

“Shit. Where’s the other person in this? It takes two to tango. Who’s the other father?”

“I don’t know. We haven’t really gotten to that yet. We weren’t even home from the doctor when he got called on some child abduction case in Oregon. He just got back home like, an hour ago. Passed out in the car on the way home. I had to carry him up to bed.”

“ _You let him go on a case?_ ”

The loud shout in his ear had Alex wincing and moving the phone. He scowled and brought it back to his ear. “Fuck, Scott, you trying to break my eardrum? I didn’t ‘let’ him do anything. I figured if his team knew he was sick and they were still calling him in, it was important. Plus, what was I supposed to do? Sit on him? You know no one can stop Spence from doing something he wants to do. _Let him_. Fuck.” He snorted before taking another drink of coffee.

“Bring him here. He doesn’t need to be going out on cases right now. He needs to be here where he can be looked at by a doctor that can take care of someone in his unique position. He’s not going to find a doctor out there that not only takes care of male pregnancies, but mutants as well. Hank’s his best bet. And he needs to be careful. He needs to take care of himself.”

“I’m taking care of him.”

“Yeah, and such a great job you’re doing, Alex. Right after you find out he’s pregnant, you let him go out on a case. That’s taking real great care of him!”

“Hey!” Offended, Alex forgot to modulate his tone. “Fuck you, you asshole! What the fuck? Are you trying to say I don’t care about him or some shit?”

Scott’s sigh was easy to hear. Alex could just picture the man pushing his glasses up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “You may fight with him, but he knows how to get around you. Somehow he always seems to get his way with you. You spoil him.”

“The hell I do! I can take care of him just fine!”

“ _He_ doesn’t need anyone to take care of him.” Spencer's voice was sharp and full of annoyance.

Surprised, Alex spun to see Spencer standing by the table, wrapped in a fleece blanket, his hair rumpled and a scowl on his face. Hell. Just…hell. It wasn’t hard to see that Spencer was pissed. His eyes were hard and without his contacts in it was easy to see how the colors in them sparked. “You called Scott. I can’t believe you, Alex. You _called_ _Scott_.”

“Put me on speaker.” Scott demanded in his ear. Wincing, Alex did just that. A second later Scott’s voice echoed in the room. “Damn straight he called me, Sherlock. I would’ve beat him if he hadn’t.”

“I’m not really seeing the negative in that.” Spencer countered. He ignored the glare Alex sent him, too busy staring at the phone as if he could see straight through to Scott. “I would’ve called when I was ready. I was planning on taking a day or two to get my head together and then coming to see you. Hotch gave me two weeks off.”

“You’re going to get your ass on the next train out and come see me now, Spencer Reid.” Scott warned him in a hard voice. “Or I’m going to come fetch you. And trust me, you don’t want me to do that.”

Shock had Spencer's mouth dropping open and his eyes going wide. “Come _fetch me_? Now, wait just one minute…”

“I don’t think so. You know that you need to take every precaution possible to keep yourself safe in this kind of condition and no doctor there is qualified to look out for your health the way that Hank is. I want you on the very next train out here, Spencer. I’m not taking any risks with you. You should be able to find one leaving sometime within the hour. Alex, text me your ETA and either I’ll pick you up from the station or I’ll have someone there to do it for me. See you two shortly.” That said, there was a click, indicating Scott had hung up.

Spencer stood there for a minute before his face turned toward Alex and his glare was back. “I will get you for this.”

Sheepishly, Alex shrugged. “I was just looking out for you, pidge. That’s all.”

“I’m going to sit right beside you on the train and I’m going to use my empathy to project everything I’m feeling to you, brother dearest.” The threat was delivered in a cold, taunting voice. “Every bit of nausea, every drop of my headache, I’m going to share with you. Then we’ll see how very pleasant you feel.” And with one last, furious look, Spencer spun on his heel and went back toward his room.

Alex grimaced and looked down into his coffee. This was going to suck. He sighed before hopping down and going to grab a phone book. He needed to find the number to the train station and see when the next one was leaving for New York.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Spencer and Alex were finally arriving at the mansion, neither man was in the best of moods. Though Spencer had been sorely tempted, he’d refrained from following through on his threat. One of them sick was bad enough. Plus, honestly, he’d been too tired and too nauseous to even think about doing much of anything to anyone. Half of the train ride had been spent with him in a bathroom or curled up trying to catch a little bit of sleep. Once or twice he’d even had to use a little bag, unable to get up fast enough to make it to a bathroom.

Unfortunately for him, Bobby had been the poor soul conned into picking them up from the train station. Twice between there and the mansion he’d had to pull over for Spencer to be sick. The rest of the ride, Spencer was curled up in the back, utterly miserable and equally furious with Alex and Scott both. If it wasn’t for them, he could be in his bed right now, sleeping off this horrible feeling. But _no_ , he was here in the back of a car, wanting to hurl with each bump and sway. When they finally parked, he couldn’t get out of the car fast enough.

Alex was there, one hand out as if to help him. Spencer jerked back from it and glared at him. “Leave me alone.” Oh, man. Fast movements were definitely out of the question. He braced a hand on the car and brought the other up to press the back of it against his mouth, trying to contain himself. Could he make it? A second’s debate decided that, yes, yes he could. “Someone can have the joy of telling Scott I’m here. I hope my room’s ready because I’m finding the nearest available bed and getting horizontal quickly. I’ll come back for my bag later.” He put his messenger bag on, though. That still held his crackers and ginger related things. Those in hand, he made his way into the house, cursing each step that still seemed to sway with the vibrations from the train and the car.

He was lucky enough not to encounter anyone when he came inside, or even as he hit the stairs. It was in the hallway near his room that he finally heard voices. He paid them no attention, focused solely on one goal—bed. He almost wept with joy when he found the bed was made up fresh for him. He sat right down, reaching down to yank off first one shoe and then the other. Then he set his bag on the nightstand so it was in easy reach. He’d just undone his belt and was shedding his slacks when the door opened and Scott came in with Alex on his heels. Spencer paid them no mind, just pulling his pants off and letting them drop to the floor. Then he was undoing the buttons on his shirt and letting that fall as well. As soon as those were off, he pulled back the covers and climbed right into bed.

Scott let him get all settled in before sitting down on the bed. Spencer burrowed under the blankets and closed his eyes to avoid having to look at Scott. “Go away, Scotty. I don’t wanna talk right now.” He grumbled. “If I do, I’m liable to vomit on you. Ask Alex, he knows.”

“Mom had the same problem when she was carrying you.” Scott said warmly. He lifted one hand, stroking Spencer's hair back from his face, letting his fingers run through Spencer's hair as he’d used to do when he was sick. Spencer found himself closing his eyes and sighing into that touch. It really did feel wonderful for his headache. Enough so that he didn’t even mind Scott’s voice as he kept talking. “She lived off of saltines at first. Then it went away except for random smells. She couldn’t take certain smells the whole time she was pregnant with you. I remember one was the laundry detergent. Smelling it on the bedding, our clothes, made her almost instantly sick. Pop had to buy new detergent and rewash everything in the house so nothing had that old scent on it.”

Spencer surprised the three of them by whispering “I wish she were here.”

It was almost unheard of for Spencer to speak of their mother. When he had been a child, it had been one thing guaranteed to make him shut down or to make him run away, so the boys had gotten into the habit of not talking about her that often to Spencer. Very few times had he ever brought her up willingly. Yet now he found himself thinking of her as he lay there. Thinking of what it would be like to be able to talk to her. Thinking about the fact that childbirth had been what had killed her in the end and unable to stop himself from being just a little bit afraid.

Scott’s hand had faltered only for a second before picking back up again. “She would’ve been proud of you, Sherlock. And she would’ve been so excited for you. Family was the most important thing to her. She always said she wanted a house full of kids.” The man let out a soft little sigh and Spencer could feel his nostalgia for a moment followed by that warmth that was Scott’s love. “She may not be able to be here, but we are, honey. We’re not going to let you be alone, you hear me?”

Spencer nodded, afraid to try to speak past the lump in his throat.

For a little while the three stayed there in silence. Alex settled at the foot of the bed, Scott got more comfortable near the head of the bed where he could continue to stroke at Spencer's hair, and Spencer lay warm and cocooned in his blankets. The silence didn’t last forever, though. Scott spoke again soon enough, asking the question that Spencer had known was coming and that he’d braced himself to answer. “Spencer, you know what I’m going to ask, I know you do.” Scott said in a soft, gentle voice. “Who is the other parent, honey? Who’s the other father?”

Taking a deep breath, Spencer braced himself for the words. “I can’t tell you. Not yet.” When he heard their protests start, he hurried to explain, hoping they would understand. “I haven’t told him yet and I won’t have him pressured into something because of the two of you. I want him to decide what he wants to do on his own, not because you two were in his face, making him do the ‘right thing’.”

“So you know who it is? Is it someone here?”

Alex’s question had Spencer stiffening. Temper snapped bright and hot and he reacted without pausing to think about it. As hard as he could, he shoved his feet toward Alex, using the angle he was at and the element of surprise to shove his brother right off the bed and onto the floor. Alex hit with a satisfying thump and a shout followed by a string of curses before he scrambled back up. “You little shit! What the fuck was that for?”

“How dare you try and imply that I wouldn’t know who the other father is!” Spencer snapped back at him. Tears burned at the backs of his eyes, completely ignored as he glared at Alex. Hurt was boiling around with temper inside of him. “Do you really think I’m that indiscriminate that I sleep with so many people and am so careless while I do so that I won’t even be able to figure out who might be the father? Go to hell, Alex!”

The tears came forward, a few slipping down his cheeks, and Spencer buried his head down in the blankets to try and hide them, mortified by the fact that he was crying at all. It was just…dammit, Alex knew his past. He knew the things that Spencer had done. And he thought Alex knew how he’d changed since then. What kind of person he was now. But by saying what he had, he was implying that he’d thought Spencer wouldn’t know who the other father was. How dare he? Burrowing further into the blankets, he tried to ignore the slight horror he could feel from Alex. “Pidge…I wasn’t, I mean…shit, man, don’t cry. I’m sorry.”

“Alex, go get me some tissue and just shut up for a minute.” Scott ordered firmly. His hand kept up its motions in Spencer's hair the whole time, a steady comfort. When Alex moved off, he turned his attention towards Spencer. “Now, Spence, you know Alex didn’t mean it like that. He could’ve said that better, or not at all, but he wasn’t trying to insult you. We just love you and we’re concerned for you, that’s all.”

Still, Spencer couldn’t seem to stop the tears now that they’d started. He brought his hands up under the blankets to cover his face, trying to hide the tears that still fell. He heard Alex come back to the bed and then there were low murmurs between the two before Alex beat a quick retreat out of the room. Scott shifted the blankets and pressed some tissue against Spencer's hand. “Here, honey. Use these.”

“Guess I know how to scare Alex off.” Spencer said with a sniffle as he took the tissue.

Warm laughter flowed over him. “Now if you can perfect the ability to do it on command, life might just become extremely entertaining.”

Spencer couldn’t help it. Even as the tears fell, he chuckled. Leave it to Scott to make him laugh no matter what.

CXCX

Out in the hallway, Alex shook his head as he shut the door. Man, he couldn’t handle tears. Man, woman, child, it didn’t matter. He’d do just about anything to make them stop. How the hell Scott managed to sit in there with a crying Spencer and not go into a panic was a mystery to Alex. If he’d been the only one in there, he would’ve been scrambling to do anything to make him stop. Anything. Tears were like his…like his kryptonite. Damn. He hadn’t meant to make the kid cry! It was just, it was so damn confusing. Of course he didn’t think Spencer slept around. If anything, he thought the opposite. He’d always figured his little brother was the discriminate type.

As Alex started to walk down the hall, his brain went back to some earlier thoughts. It was like he’d been thinking before calling Scott; something about this just didn’t seem right.

Something hit Alex then and he froze right at the top of the staircase. His mind raced. Wait a second…! He’d been wondering who on earth Spencer was with that he could’ve gotten pregnant because he was having a hard time picturing the kid with anyone, knowing as he did how Spencer felt about Remy.

Now, Spencer was the type to do something all the way. If he was in love with Remy—and Alex knew for a fact he was—then he would give his all to it. He wouldn’t go around, sleeping with other people or anything like that. No, he wouldn’t give himself to someone he didn’t care for. Trust. Love. So if he couldn’t have Remy, he’d be celibate most likely. But Remy was with Rogue, right? Right?

There was one way to get an answer to this. Resolve firm, Alex took off once more, this time with a goal in mind: Find Remy and get some answers. It really didn’t take him long to find him, either. A few questions and he was directed outside where he found Remy and Logan standing in their usual, designated ‘smoke area’ that the Professor had granted for them. Not that they constantly respected it but they made at least some effort to respect that rule.

When he got close enough, Alex called out “Remy LeBeau! I want a word with you!”

He almost didn’t even have to ask the question. The quick flash over Remy’s face as he looked up clearly said a guilty ‘oh shit’. The Cajun schooled his expression quickly, though. “ _Bonjour, mon ami_. What can Remy do f’ y’?”

“Aren’t you dating Rogue?” Alex wasted no time in asking. He stopped right in front of the man, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at him. Remy didn’t flinch under that glare. However, the casualness in his words was just a touch false, almost unnoticeable. “Not at de moment, Remy don’t t’ink. Can never really keep up, me.”

Leaning in, Alex put his face close as he hissed out. “Were you dating her when you fucked my brother?”

This time the flash on Remy’s face was much faster and much harder to read. Then his expression firmed once more. “ _Merde_.” The man swore lightly. He sighed, casting a look around before answering “ _Non_. “

 _Son of a bitch._ Alex fought back his temper, needing one more question answered first. Just one last question. Then…oh, then he’d kick the Cajun’s fucking ass. “Would it happen to have been sometime in December?”

This time Remy’s look was slightly confused. He took a small step back, furrowing his brows. “ _Oui_ …why…” he never got to finish that. In a move Spencer called a ‘patented Alex maneuver’ he leapt forward and tackled the Cajun to the ground. Before they’d fully hit, he was already balling up a fist. “You son of a bitch!” Maybe he couldn’t handle a crying Spencer, but _this_ he could handle.

Remy dodged the blow, trying to roll their bodies to find a way to break free, but Alex was having none of it. “What de hell, Havok?” Remy snapped out as he dodged under his arm and almost managed to flip them. At the last second, Alex hooked a leg around his, dropping him down with a solid thump. A blow to the face had Remy’s head snapping sideways and his own temper coming out. He delivered a blow of his own that sent Alex rolling sideways. The two launched to their feet, hands at the ready, ignoring the crowd around them. “What de fuck is y’r problem?” Remy snarled out. “Dis aint business between us. What’s dere is his and Remy’s business.”

“It just became my business, you little…”

“Enough!”

Both men turned at that shout, watching as the crowd that had gathered now parted to allow someone through. Two someone’s, actually. Scott and Spencer both came striding toward them and neither one looked happy. Scott stopped right between them and he glared back and forth between the two men. “What the hell is going on out here?” He demanded.

Alex opened his mouth, a ready retort on his lips, when suddenly he was hit with a wave of emotion that wasn’t his own. That familiar empathic touch stopped him in his tracks. Spencer was sending him pleading and caution that was tempered by a fine layer of panic. It wasn’t the first time that his brother had sent that particular mix to him, though not usually so heavy on the panic, and Alex knew exactly what it meant. The last time Alex had felt it edged with that much panic had been when Spencer had accidentally dropped a bucket of paint on Scott’s new car. Scott had come out to find out what the loud sound was and he’d been absolutely livid when he’d demanded to know what the hell had happened. Spencer had sent this same mix of emotions to Alex back then and Alex had stepped forward and taken the blame for it. He hadn’t had to even think about it, then, and he didn’t have to now, either. He quickly changed what it was he’d been about to say. “Just a private disagreement between Remy and I, big brother. No need to get your panties in a twist.”

The gratitude and love that Spencer sent him was strong. Behind Scott’s shoulder, discreetly hidden there, Spencer sent him a grateful look and mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to which Alex responded with a small nod. His gratitude was at complete odds with the disgusted look that Scott was wearing. “Can you ever get into any kind of disagreement with anyone without it resulting in fists, Alex? You can’t even get through one visit without fighting with someone!”

“Yeah, well, sometimes it’s what’s called for. Some shit’s just that important.” Alex slanted a glare over at Remy, pleased when he saw the man wiping blood off his chin. Good. He hoped the fucker was sore for days.

Surprisingly, Remy didn’t contradict his story, for which Alex was grateful. He looked up Scott and he somehow managed to look casual and indifferent despite the fact that he was bruised and still bleeding. “It aint no t’ing, Fearless. Remy’s fine. He can take a hit, ‘specially when he deserves it.” The last bit was tacked on in a wry sort of voice and earned him a surprised look from both Spencer and Alex.

Scott looked back and forth between them and threw up his hands in disgust. “You two are impossible. Remy, go get washed up, you’re bleeding all over the place. Alex, go see Hank and have him put something on that cut on your head. Everyone else, break it up, the show’s over!” He turned towards the crowd and started to send everyone on their way. Alex took advantage of the moment to step up to Spencer. He lightly caught his kid brother’s arm and held it until Spencer's electric eyes met his. “We’re gonna talk about this later, pidge.” He warned in a low voice. Spencer still had that wide eyed look to him, but he nodded his agreement. Satisfied, Alex let go and started towards the house to go and see Hank, completely ignoring his ranting older brother when he fell in beside him. Alex was too busy thinking about what he’d just learned and about Spencer's pleading reaction. Why didn’t the kid want him saying anything? What was going on here? Something told him it was a hell of a lot and he was determined to find out. No one got to fuck with his brother but him. If this thing with Remy was worse than he’d originally thought, Alex was going to make this beating look like child’s play.

CXCX

The crowd dispersed rather quickly when Scott started barking out orders. In no time flat Spencer found himself standing alone on the grass with Remy. They were a few feet apart from one another and it seemed like they were avoiding looking at one another. They couldn’t hold out for long, though. Spencer broke first, looking over towards Remy like his gaze was drawn by some invisible magnet. When he saw Remy’s bleeding mouth, he winced. Seeing the man’s injuries was enough to break Spencer's frozen pose and get him moving. No matter what else was going on between them, he couldn’t stand to see his best friend hurting. Spencer unfolded his arms from around his queasy stomach and made his way over to Remy, one hand coming out to brush over Remy’s arm in a hesitant little gesture. “Come on.” He said softly. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

Together, the two headed into the kitchen. Spencer was grateful to find that there was no one else in there. He brought Remy right up to the sink before finally letting go of him. With brisk, efficient movements, he got out a fresh washcloth and wet it down, and then he brought it over and started to dab at Remy’s lip with it. All the while he deliberately avoided looking at any other part of his friend. He couldn’t bring himself to meet Remy’s eyes though he could feel them staring at him. Nerves had him biting at his bottom lip. There was so much between them. Things had never been this awkward between them, not even back in the early days of their friendship. He had always been so comfortable around Remy. How the hell had they gotten to this point? _You know how_ , his mind taunted him. _The minute you two drowned yourselves in alcohol and decided that sleeping together was a smart plan._ And now, because of one drunken night, their friendship was reduced to this. Would it survive once Remy knew the truth? If he didn’t already. There was no telling what Alex had said to him. No, no. If Alex had told Remy about the pregnancy, there was no way Remy would be this calm right now.

That meant that Remy was probably figuring this was just about them sleeping together. Spencer didn’t stop to question the relief he felt at that. Before his courage deserted him, he blurted out “I’m so sorry about Alex. He takes the big brother thing just a little too far sometimes.”

“He cares about y’.” Remy murmured. The sound of his husky voice after so long of not hearing his voice sent a chill down Spencer's spine. “Dere’s not’ing wrong wit’ dat. He don’t like to see his baby brother hurt.”

Spencer drew in a ragged breath and had to blink his eyes a few times to make sure they stayed clear. He moved from Remy’s lip to wiping up the blood on his chin. What was he supposed to stay here? Part of him wanted to drop the rag and run far away. The other part wanted to just lean forward into the arms of a friend that had always been there for him. The irony of it all didn’t escape his notice. If it were anyone else, if Spencer had slept with anyone else and found himself pregnant, Remy would’ve been the first person he ran to. Remy would’ve been the one that Spencer would’ve sought comfort and advice from, even before he would’ve gone to his brothers. Yet he couldn’t now. He couldn’t ask Remy for advice when Remy was the other person involved in this.

Long fingers wrapped around Spencer's wrist and stilled his movement. Spencer held utterly still, eyes locked on the washcloth he was still holding, trying to keep control of his emotions. He almost lost that control with Remy’s next murmured words. “I’ve missed y’. I never wanted dis to fuck up our friendship so bad, Spencer.”

“Neither did I.” Spencer whispered. Inside, he was cringing, knowing that Remy had no idea just how badly this had messed things up. He closed his eyes and curled his fingers tighter into the washcloth. “I’ve missed you too, Rem.” Oh how he’d missed his friend. More than he could describe. They’d been close for so long that being without him had felt so, so wrong. But things between them were so strained. There was too much there now to just pretend like they were all okay. “Have you…” He paused, swallowed. “Does Rogue know?”

A grimace crossed Remy’s face. “ _Oui_. She knows.”

“I imagine that went over well.”

“She wasn’t too happy.” Remy conceded. His expression firmed just slightly. “She aint got no reason to get pissy about it, though, an I told her dat. It aint like she and Remy were together den.”

“To be fair, I doubt that really makes a difference.”

Remy’s gave a disgusted snort. “I aint dat fair, den. She’s de one dat split with me, Spencer. She left me fo’ de thousandth time. What right’s she got to get upset dat I found comfort wit’ someone else during one of dose times?”

 _Oh, Remy_. The roll of emotions inside of the man had Spencer closing his eyes and fighting back the urge to wrap him up in a tight hug. Remy felt so many different things at the moment. Confusion was a big one, with liberal amounts of hurt mixed in there. There was the familiar mixed up love that the man felt for Rogue, plus the warmth of the love that was between him and Spencer that the genius had missed so much recently. All of it created this mixture that left Spencer's already tender stomach rolling even more. He squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head, hoping desperately that he wasn’t about to throw up once more. He’d just gotten rid of that shaky feeling from traveling and the jolt of fear he’d felt at seeing Alex and Remy fight had helped push this all back. But it was coming back with a vengeance now.

“Spencer?” Remy slid his hand up Spencer's wrist, taking the washcloth and setting it aside. He brushed his other hand over Spencer's arm. “Cher, what is it? Are y’ okay?”

Again here was the opportunity to tell Remy what was going on. Again, Spencer ignored it. “I’m just not feeling that well. I’ve caught a bug, that’s all.”

Soft fingers brushed against his cheek and then tucked his hair behind his ear. “An y’r traveling? Y” should be home, resting, cher.”

He really should stay here and talk with him. He should take advantage of this private moment to just tell Remy what was going on. _I need to tell him! I can’t keep this a secret. I can’t!_ But his body had other ideas. Staying here and talking with Remy was quickly becoming an impossibility. Spencer felt his stomach churn and he knew he needed to get back upstairs before he once more threw up on someone. Throwing up on Remy didn’t hold the appeal that throwing up on Alex did. He’d actually feel bad for throwing up on Remy. Pressing one hand in against his mouth, Spencer tried to take careful breaths. “I need to get upstairs.” He said slowly. His mouth watered, a surefire sign he was going to be sick, and he knew he needed to move quickly. “I’m sorry. I need to go.” With nothing more than that, Spencer turned and bolted out of the room. He ran straight to his room, completely ignoring the man waiting inside, and went right to the bathroom where he dropped to his knees in front of the toilet just in the nick of time. As he knelt there, he cursed himself for being a coward.


	5. Chapter 5

Spencer didn’t really think about who he’d passed in his room until the bathroom door opened and he heard the familiar tread of his friend. There was the sound of running water and Spencer's hair was gathered up and a cool cloth was laid over the back of his neck. A large hand settled over his back and started to rub in firm, steady strokes. Spencer rode out the round of vomiting until he was finally done and then he quickly flushed before the scent could get to him. He dropped down and shifted his weight over to his hip. Tired eyes looked up through shaggy bangs to find a glass of water suddenly in front of him. He looked up at his friend and gratefully took the glass. “Thanks, Hank.”

“Of course. Small sips now, my young friend.” Hank reminded him. He took the washcloth of Spencer's neck and brought it back to the sink, rinsing it out and then bringing it back over. He traded Spencer the cloth for the glass.

Spencer appreciated it that Hank didn’t quiz him or anything of the like while they were in the bathroom. He was silent as he helped Spencer. The fact that the man was here was a clue that he obviously knew what was going on. At a better moment, Spencer might’ve found it in him to be annoyed with Scott for going and talking to Hank without consulting with Spencer first. However, at the moment, he just didn’t give a damn. Hank’s soothing presence was relaxing him.

It wasn’t until they were done in there and Spencer was once more back in his bed that Hank finally started on the examination that Spencer had known was coming. The man sat down on the edge of the bed and caught Spencer's wrist in his hand. He ran through a basic exam, even looking into Spencer's eyes and in his mouth—thank God he’d brushed his teeth before coming out here. As he went through it all he asked Spencer questions about his nausea, how frequently it hit, whether or not he could keep anything down. “You’re lucky in that it should start to taper off over the next week or two.” Hank told him when he was done.

“God, I hope so.” Sighing, Spencer laid his head back against the pillows, trying to ignore the slow roll of his stomach. “I’ve had quite enough of being bent over a toilet, thank you very much.”

“Yes, well, I may have something to help with that. I know how you feel about medication, so I brought you something.” From his pocket Hank pulled out a few interesting looking black bracelets. They looked like watch bands without the watch. He caught hold of Spencer's hand and started to wrap one around his wrist. As he did, he explained just what it was. “These are acupressure wrist bands designed to relieve nausea commonly caused by pregnancy, motion sickness, chemo, and anesthesia. You wear one on each wrist,” He finished with the one bracelet and moved on to Spencer's other hand. “at the Nei-kuan acupressure point. They don’t work for everyone, but they might help ease the feeling for you, even just slightly.”

Spencer looked down at his wristbands, which Hank had attached snugly, and he mentally shrugged. “I’ll take what I can get.”

“The excessive nausea might explain why you look like there isn’t much weight gain.”

“I have gained some.” He shrugged one shoulder sheepishly. “Not much, though. I just thought I’d been bloated this past week. Or maybe put on a few pounds.”

Doctor-patient confidentiality meant that Hank knew things about Spencer's medical history that not even his brothers knew. Because of that, he asked the question that Alex and Scott hadn’t known to ask. “Have you been in to see Dr. Nu yet?”

“No, not yet. I haven’t had the chance. I got my confirmation, ended up going on a case, came home and barely had any rest before Scott was _ordering_ us to come out here.” His tone dripped with scorn on the word ‘ordering’. Then he let out a sigh. “Once I’ve had a few days of rest, she’s my next order of business. Hotch gave me two weeks of time off and I plan on going to see her before that time is up.”

Dr. Nu was the doctor that Spencer had been seeing since he was a kid. She was a doctor experienced male pregnancies and she was also one who had absolutely no issue with Spencer being a mutant. His Mom had taken him to her when he was eleven and he’d been seeing her ever since.

“Well you know I’ll keep an eye on things for you while you’re here, if you’d like.” Hank reassured him. His words were an offer, Spencer knew, not a demand. No matter what Scott said, he couldn’t force anything between them. Hank would offer his services but he wouldn’t force them on Spencer. The two had far too much respect for one another to treat each other like that. They’d built quite a close friendship over the years. Each one found in the other someone that they could talk to without having to dumb themselves down for the conversation. They could talk and not have to explain every little thing that they said all the time. Sometimes, yes, because their knowledge was so varied they inevitably came across things that one knew better than the other. But even then, they could explain and know the other would truly understand it, not just nod and pretend.

Spencer summoned up a smile for his friend. “Thanks, Hank.”

“But of course.” He brought one hand up to smooth some of Spencer's hair back from his face and he smiled back at him. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you get some sleep, my young Summers, and I’ll inform your brothers that you are to remain undisturbed? Your body could use the rest.”

Only Hank would dare to call him ‘young Summers’. From him, it was a term of endearment, one that had Spencer chuckling. “That sounds fantastic.” He was still smiling when Hank left. The smile faded quickly, though, as other thoughts tried to intrude. Spencer skillfully shoved all those thoughts back and blanked out his mind as he’d learned how to do a long time ago. It was the only way to survive with an eidetic memory. He blanked out his mind and then gave himself over to the physical demands of his body. Within moments he was drifting off to sleep.

CXCX 

Spencer was still feeling miserable enough that he got away with putting off his conversation with Alex for the rest of the day. But when he woke that evening with the arrival of Alex bearing a dinner tray, he was surprised to find that not only did he not feel nauseous, he actually felt _hungry_. Truly, honestly hungry. He hadn’t really been that interested in food in days. He looked at the bracelets Hank had left him with and he couldn’t help but smile. Wow. They’d worked. They’d actually worked.

That revelation wasn’t enough to distract him for long. Not even the appeal of the food was enough to really distract him from the serious look on Alex’s face when his brother brought the tray of food over to him. _Ah, uh-oh. Looks like quiet time is over_. Spencer chewed on his bottom lip while he pushed himself carefully up into a sitting position. In a pathetic attempt at normalcy, he flashed a crooked grin at Alex and teased “Ever hear of knocking, big brother?”

Alex set the tray down with a little more force than was necessary. “I was told to just slip in and drop this off if you were still sleeping.”

The flat tone of Alex’s voice showed that he was definitely still mad. Spencer fought back a wince and busied himself with looking down at what had been sent up. It was all light fare; he could tell who had had their hand in preparing this. The toast with apple butter would be from Scott, no one else knew that Spencer loved to eat that when sick. The tea, Jean. She seemed to have a belief that tea solved everything, and she was a disaster in the kitchen, so the tea tended to be her fallback item for someone when they were sick. The soup, though, that was definitely Remy’s. Even if he hadn’t been the one to put it on the tray, the making of it was his. It was his homemade chicken noddle soup. Spencer breathed in and drew in the scent of the spices and sighed happily. “You brought me Remy’s soup.”

“They keep some frozen so they have it on hand when he doesn’t feel like cooking.”

“Mm.” He picked up the spoon and drew up the first bite, eyes closing as the flavor exploded on his tongue. It was delicious, as always, and he was thrilled when he swallowed and didn’t feel the need to bring it right back up. “You know,” He said between bites. “Chicken soup has always been touted as a form of folk medicine, used to treat symptoms of the common cold and other such conditions. It’s also been shown that chicken soup contains the Amino acid cysteine, which is very similar to acetylcysteine, something that’s used by doctors for patients with bronchitis and other respiratory infections to help clear them.”

“Fascinating.” Alex said dryly. Then, to Spencer's discomfort, Alex kicked his shoes off and sat himself down at the foot of the bed, propped up against the footboard. He looked so serious and it was an extremely discomfiting sight. A serious Alex didn’t happen all that often. The man tended to either get angry at things, or be amused by them. For him to be quietly serious like this was a big thing.

Uncomfortable, Spencer dropped his head and stared down at his soup. He snuck a glance up and found that Alex was still watching him with that same, steady look. “Stop staring at me, Alex.” He finally broke down and snapped. “Whatever it is you want to say, will you just say it? I’d rather you yelled at me than sit here and stare like that. It’s rather creepy.”

Alex lifted one eyebrow in a scary imitation of Scott. “Shut up and eat.”

“Good God.” Spencer set his spoon down and stared up at Alex with wide eyes. “If you’re going to impersonate Scotty, you can just get out right now. I get enough of ‘the eyebrow’ from him. I absolutely refuse to take it from you. Keep it up and I will sneak in while you’re sleeping and use electrolysis to remove them.”

That had the desired effect of breaking Alex’s serious expression and drawing a snorted laugh from him. The familiar mirth danced in the back of his brother’s eyes. “Like hell.”

“You know I’d do it. A little bit of empathy to make sure you stay asleep and just a fine thread of the electricity—it’d take just seconds.”

“You stay the hell away from my eyebrows, you shit.”

“Then quit trying to impersonate Scott!”

“I wasn’t!” Alex snapped.

Spencer glared at him. “You were. You had the perfect Scott look. Serious face, eyebrow up, ready to lecture me. I tolerate it from him but I won’t tolerate it from you.”

Alex threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “I wasn’t trying to imitate our eldest! God! Try and give a damn about my brother and this is the shit I get? Well, fine, dammit. Screw doing this nice. We’re doing this _my_ way. _You_ ,” he pointed an accusing finger at Spencer and glared at him, “are an absolute fucking idiot. Why didn’t you tell me about you and Remy?”

Now this was more like it. This was an Alex that Spencer could handle. He’d much rather shout with Alex than try for some calm, serious discussion. They always seemed to communicate better through anger or at top volume. Spencer squared his shoulder sand met Alex glare for glare. “Because it wasn’t any of your business who I slept with.”

“Of course it’s my business! You’re my fucking  _brother_!” 

“And did I miss some memo describing how that gives you the right to interfere in my life?” Spencer snapped back. He was the one pointing a finger now, jabbing it in the air as if he were poking Alex. “You’re the one that’s an idiot. How dare you go out there and attack him that way? You had no right to step in here, Alexander. None! If or when I tell Remy is my business. It’s  _my_  decision.” 

Startling, both eyebrows going up, Alex latched on to one word. “If?”

Color flooded Spencer's cheeks and he dropped his gaze back down to his food. Absently, he stirred at the soup with his spoon. “When.” He corrected himself. “When I tell him.” He snuck a glance up and found Alex watching him, sharp eyes staring right into him, and he shifted uncomfortably. “I’m going to tell him. I won’t deny him the right to know his own child.” He said defensively.

Alex didn’t even budge. “But…?” 

A sigh slid from Spencer. His shoulders slumped slightly. “But…not yet.” Spencer finished. His voice still held a slightly defensive quality to it. “I’d like a chance to get used to the idea myself, thank you very much. I’ve barely had a chance to  _breathe_  since finding out. Is it too much to ask to just get a little time to think things through on my own?” 

“No, it’s not too much to ask, so long as you _do_ plan on telling him in the end.”

“I do!”

“And what about Scott?” Alex asked. “Cause it wasn’t just cause of Remy you wanted me to shut up earlier. You didn’t want Scott knowing either, did you?”

Now that one was a little more complicated. Spencer gave himself a moment to think by eating some of his dinner. He picked up his toast and worked his way through a few bites while he tried to put his thoughts in order. Surprisingly, Alex let him, not pushing it. He just sat there against the footboard and waited with uncharacteristic patience. Eventually, when the toast was gone, Spencer tried to put what he was thinking into words that didn’t sound like he was trashing his oldest brother. “There are a few reasons. One of which is that you and I both know he’d hound me to tell Remy until I’d give in, whether I was ready to or not. Another is, well…If he knows, he's going to interfere. You know him, Alex. You know he will. He'll have the best intentions, but he'll get right in the middle of things and Remy and I need to work this out on our own _without_ him hovering over us.”

“He's not an idiot, Spence.” Alex said gently. “He'll figure it out, just like I did.”

“I know.” Lifting one hand, Spencer wiped it over his face. The headache that had vanished for a while was finally making a comeback. It was a stress headache, he knew. He tended to get them when there was too much on his mind, especially when it was something heavy like this. Rubbing at his temples, he blew out a breath. “I'll handle that when the time comes. For now, please, just let it be. Let me do this my own way.”

The room went quiet for a few long minutes. Spencer was deliberately keeping his shields up so that he wouldn’t have to feel the roll of emotions from his brother. Finally, he heard Alex sigh, and he felt his shoulders relax in relief even as Alex spoke. “All right, pidge. All right. I'll keep your secrets, on one condition.”

A bit of the tension came back.  He lowered his hand and met Alex’s eyes. “What is it?" Spencer asked cautiously.

“That you don't keep shit from  _me_. Keep your secrets from everyone else if you have to. But you're damn well going to talk to me, at least. You're not on your own here.”

Emotion clogged Spencer's throat. He felt tears burning the backs of his eyes and he cursed his traitorous hormones. Leave it to Alex to be such an ass and so damn sweet all at the same time. He could beat Spencer into the ground and yet there was no one who would have his back quicker. Not willing to risk his voice right then, not sure how it would come out sounding, he nodded his head rapidly, dropping his gaze down to his lap in hopes of hiding the sheen of tears there.

“Good.” Alex said. The bed shifted a little and Spencer heard the man rise to his feet. For a moment Alex stood beside the bed. Then he reached out, ruffling Spencer's hair like he’d used to do when they were younger. “Eat your dinner, pidge, and get some sleep. You look like shit.” And with no more than that, he turned and quickly left the room. Whether it was because he’d noticed the tears and was trying to scramble away, or he was trying to give Spencer some privacy to collect himself, Spencer didn’t know. But the exit was pure Alex.

Spencer finished his dinner almost absently, not even really paying attention to what he put in anymore. Most of his thoughts had turned internal. For the first time since he’d gotten the news that he was pregnant, he was actually able to sit and think about it without something getting in the way. There was no case, no nausea that he was battling, no one in the room demanding his attention. Without all those things to distract him, a thousand questions and fears were rearing their heads. The biggest of all being – what was he going to do?

His dinner was finished and he set the tray down on the floor beside the bed. One hand came down to rest over his stomach. It still seemed so surreal. There was a little life growing inside of him. A small, tiny, barely formed life, just barely one and a half inches long. Only the size of a _fig_. He pulled up his shirt and looked at his stomach, really looked at it, and lying down the way he was he could only see a very, very faint swell. Knowing that he had the potential to get pregnant and actually having it happen were two totally different things. He’d thought he would be prepared for it when it finally happened. He’d figured that if—and that had been a big IF—he ever decided to get pregnant, it would be a planned out thing, something that would happen when he had a stable partner, a nice home, and he’d stopped traveling so much for work. Not like, like _this_ , like some bad after-school special. A single parent, pregnant off a one night stand with his best friend, the man he was secretly in love with and who was with someone else.

God, _Remy_. Thinking of him brought on a whole other set of questions and fears. How was that going to work out? How was Remy going to react to the news? What would he do? Spencer was terrified that he knew the answer to that one. Remy’s upbringing and personal beliefs would prompt him to leave Rogue so he could be with Spencer and their child and that was the last thing that Spencer wanted. Oh, he wanted Remy to be with him, no doubt about that. But he didn’t want Remy to choose to be with him solely for the sake of their child. He wanted Remy to choose him for him.

But…wouldn’t it be better for the child to have both fathers, no matter what? And, what if he waited to tell Remy and then when he finally did tell him, Remy freaked out because Spencer hadn’t told him sooner?

Spencer groaned and dropped his head back against the pillows. Every time he thought of one question, it seemed to spawn six more. How was he ever going to figure this out?

All those questions were still plaguing him as he dropped off into a fitful sleep.

CXCX 

Alex and Spencer were planning something.

What it was, Scott wasn’t sure. He just knew they were planning _something_. It was the only explanation. They were spending almost all of their time together either closed off in Spencer's room or out wandering the grounds. Whenever the two had put their heads together like this in the past it had always ended with them pulling some sort of prank on Scott. Once, they’d closest off together for days and days on end, and then one morning Scott had woken up to find himself sewed into his bedding with all the hair on his head shaved off. _All of it_. Another time they’d started whispering and talking together and it had ended with Scott having to bail them out of jail for a list of things he didn’t even want to begin to think about again. So when he saw them talking together, cutting off conversations when others came close, spending almost all their free time together, he began to worry. When it continued for a week and a half, he was panicking on the inside, waiting for the shoe to drop and watching all around him for any sign of a prank that might be waiting.

Spencer didn’t seem all that interested in spending time with anyone else. Now, if he’d opted to spend his time alone, that wouldn’t have surprised Scott. Spencer thought best when he was left alone. He knew his brother fully expected him to nag at him, to pressure him for who the other father was and for what he was planning on doing, but Scott wasn’t a complete idiot. He didn’t let it lie and ignore it, but he didn’t nag, either. He tried to walk that fine line between the two—after making it very clear to Spencer that he was there for him if he needed to talk. According to Hank, Spencer and the baby were both perfectly healthy, and Spencer was only twelve weeks now, still early enough. So long as they were healthy and Spencer was taking care of himself, Scott was willing to wait him out. Spencer would come to him. He always did. Until then, he just observed.

There was plenty to observe, too. As Scott sat in his office that night he thought about the events of the past week and a half with Spencer here and all the things he’d seen. And he’d seen far more than Spencer probably thought he had. He’d seen the interactions between Spencer and Remy, who had always been Spencer's best friend here. He’d seen the way they were around one another, the shyness and awkwardness that had never been a part of their friendship, and he’d seen the way Spencer would watch Remy out a window sometimes with this sad and aching look on his face. He’d also seen the way that Rogue would look at Spencer with a mixture of hurt and worry and just a tiny bit of anger. They didn’t talk, those two, but they were at least civil.

Then there were the looks that Remy seemed to be slipping Spencer's way. Now, Remy was much harder to read than Spencer or Alex. Though Spencer was pretty good at hiding things from others, Scott had learned how to read him over the years through quite a lot of trial and error. But Remy was still one hell of a puzzle. The only person that Scott had seen be able to read the man pretty well was Spencer. There were some things that Scott was noticing, though, which in and of itself was a sign. If Scott was able to notice the small looks that Remy sent Spencer, or the worry that lined his face now and again when he watched, then Remy must be worried indeed for his control to be slipping that much.

None of it was concrete evidence that Scott could use to back up his suspicions. Still, his gut told him that he was right.

Remy had to be the other father.

What’s more, Alex knew. Of that Scott was absolutely positive. He’d had that confirmed one day when he’d seen Spencer sneaking glances down the table to where Remy and Rogue were sitting together—and the strain in their relationship was obvious to anyone who looked at them—and Spencer had just looked miserable. Alex had reached over, half hidden by the table so no one else could see, and he’d caught Spencer's hand in his. Spencer had given him an appreciative smile and Alex had slowly drawn their younger brother into conversation, though when Spencer wasn’t looking, he’d shot a furious glare down at Remy. That whole scene had been enough for Scott to know that Alex knew. He tried not to let it bother him that Spencer had chosen to talk to Alex instead of him. If his youngest brother wanted him to know, he would've said something. Scott was willing to sit by and wait for now. He was willing to give Spencer a chance to think things through and figure out what exactly it was he wanted to do. 

The sound of Scott’s office door opening brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Alex coming through the door, practically dragging Spencer in behind him. Inside, Scott wanted to laugh. Maybe he wasn’t going to have to wait as long as he’d thought.

“Hey, big brother, we need to talk.” Alex said simply. He shut the door behind him and then proceeded to drag Spencer right up to the pair of chairs by the desk. They sat down opposite Scott—Alex actually putting his hands on Spencer's shoulders and sort of forcing him down into his chair—and Scott lifted his eyebrows. Whatever they had to say, it wasn’t going to be great, if Spencer's reluctance was anything to go by. The man looked ready to bolt. He was hunched down a bit in his chair with an uncomfortable look on his face, reluctance and worry written in every line of him. Unable to help himself, Scott used his driest voice and said “Relax, Sherlock. I haven’t killed anyone in weeks and my torture tools are currently out for repair. You should be safe.”

That had Alex snorting and Spencer's head jerking up. A ghost of a smile grace Spencer's lips and a spark of his usual humor touched his eyes. “Smart ass.”

“That’s better.” Scott said, lips quirking. “You don’t look like you’re going to your death anymore. All right, what’s going on?”

Just like that the nervous look was back. Scott’s teasing seemed to have given Spencer some strength back, though. He looked as nervous as before but he sat up just a little straighter and his chin tipped up ever so slightly in a gesture that Scott was familiar with. It was one that said Spencer was gathering his courage and bracing to take whatever was thrown his way. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately, as you know, and I’ve figured out a few things.” Spencer said. Then there was no more time to wonder what was going on; Spencer hit it with him all at once, one blunt sentence after the next. “I’m going home tomorrow and I’m going to quit my job. Then I’m going to Flagstaff, Arizona, where my obstetrician operates from.”

Holy shit. Scott rocked back in his seat, his eyebrows up so high they were in danger of climbing into his hairline. “Woah, wait a second, what? You’re quitting the Bureau and moving to _Flagstaff_?” Scott repeated the words incredulously.

Spencer clasped his hands together tightly in his lap, but his voice was steady when he said “Yes. I know you were hoping I’d stay here and be attended by Hank, but I've seen Dr. Nu since I was eleven, Scotty. I'd be more comfortable seeing her. She knows my history and she knows about my mutation, too.”

“I'm gonna go with him.” Alex chimed in. “We're going to rent a place together for the duration of the pregnancy.”

“But I am coming home afterwards. The move there isn't permanent.” Spencer hurried to reassure him. 

“But…Flagstaff.” Scott still can’t believe it. He knows he’s sitting there gaping like some idiot and he can’t seem to stop. The fact that Spencer is quitting the Bureau only gets a moment’s thought—and that thought is simply gratitude that he won’t have to be terrified about his pregnant brother trying to work a dangerous job—but the fact that Spencer's moving away… “That’s so far away.” That right there is the crux of it. Spencer was basically going to the other side of the country to have this child. A little wave of hurt hit Scott at the realization that his brother was going to be so far away for this entire pregnancy. It was then that he realized that he’d sort of started to look forward to this. To being able to watch this life grow inside of his brother, watch him grow and change, and to be able to be there with him through it all. But Spencer was here telling him that he was moving away for the whole thing—and he was taking Alex with him. _Alex_. Those two fought like cats and dogs! Since when did they band together like this? And since when had they started leaving him out of the big things? Little things, yes. He knew the two had their secrets together. They all did. But the big things? Wait… “Is this what you two have had your heads together about lately? You couldn’t even _talk_ to me about this? You just had to plan it with Alex and then throw it on me like this?”

Spencer chewed on his bottom lip and Scott could tell by the look on his face that he was feeling the emotions in the room. He shifted in his seat and Scott actually saw him hunch in on himself a little bit more. “Scotty…I’m not, I mean…”

Sitting forward in his chair, Alex stuck a hand on Spencer's shoulder, cutting him off. Then he glared over at Scott. “Knock it off.” He snapped. “Quit acting like this is about you. He didn’t do any of this to hurt you so quit acting like you’re being attacked. Pull your head out of your ass before I do it for you.”

“I’d like to see you try.” Scott snapped.

A sneer curled Alex’s lips. “Wouldn’t be the first time I kicked your ass.”

“Guys!” Spencer cut in between them before the growing tension could get any worse. His shout drew their eyes to him and reminded him just who was between them and what was going on. Scott looked down and realized that, at some point, he’d risen up from his chair. Alex had too. They were both standing there glaring across the desk at one another with Spencer still seated in his chair below them. His sharp voice brought them back and Scott almost flushed. He and Alex looked away from one another as they took their seats again. Their argument, while flustering him and Alex, seemed to have amazingly settled Spencer somewhat. His gaze was much steadier when it fixed on Scott and his voice was clearer. “Scotty, I didn’t plan any of this to hurt you, and I’m sorry that we left you out of it. You’re right, I should’ve talked to you and not just thrown it at you the night before I go home. But this is what’s right for me to do. Dr. Nu knows my history, she knows about my mutation, and she’s been there for me through every step of handling my condition. I’m comfortable with her and that’s essential for something like this. I have to make my decisions for this based on what’s best for myself and this child, not for anyone else. I’m sorry that it hurts you, but it’s what I have to do. I hope you can understand that eventually.”

Scott looked over at Spencer and it was one of those moments were he was forcibly reminded that his baby brother had truly grown up. Though they were brothers, Spencer had always looked up to Scott like a father figure, and Scott had fallen in the habit of treating him like a son in some ways. Well, the ‘son’ he’d ‘raised’ had gone and grown up on him. It wasn’t a scared boy sitting across from him, but a man, one that knew his mind and knew what he needed to do. He was right; he was making the choice that was best for him and his child. How could Scott argue it? As he looked at Spencer, he felt not just the love he always felt around these boys, but pride as well. Pride at the man Spencer had grown up to be. He couldn’t keep a bit of that pride from slipping out. “You’ve grown into one hell of a man, Sherlock.”

Color stained Spencer's cheeks and the composed look vanished. All at once Spencer looked so young once more, flustered by just a hint of pride from someone he respected.

Smiling, Scott sat forward, folding his arms and resting them on the desk. “You guys better believe I’m gonna come visit you two. At _least_ once a month, even just for an afternoon. And you better call, or video chat, or something. I want kept in the loop about _everything_. Just because you’re not here doesn’t mean I want to miss out on all of this. Got it?”

“Got it.” Alex grinned.

All three of them rose from their chairs and Scott made his way around the desk to give Spencer a hug. He folded the man in his arms and felt Spencer hug him back just as tightly. For just a moment, Scott held him close, remembering different times, different moments, and how many things had changed yet how many stayed the same. When they pulled back. Spencer's eyes were a fireworks show, the colors flashing there so brightly. “Thanks.” Spencer whispered.

“Anytime, Spence.”

Spencer made his way over towards the door, Alex on his heels, and Scott watched them as they started to leave. He waited until Spencer was out the door and Alex was almost out as well before he softly called out “Alex.”

Alex paused, looking back at him. Something must’ve showed on his face because Alex poked his head out the door and then leaned back in and carefully shut the door, ensuring privacy. “Yeah?”

“Take care of him.” Scott said.

Warmth and love flashed through Alex’s eyes. He gave Scott a nod, not even teasing him about the protective words. They were both protective when it came to family and especially when it came to their baby brother. “Always.”

A bit of Scott’s tension eased. Alex would look out for him. He’d keep Spencer safe from all the strange bullshit that seemed to follow the kid around. If Spencer had to go, at least he was going with someone that would keep him safe. But there was one more thing Scott had to ask before he let Alex go; one more thing he had to know. He looked across the distance at Alex and asked “You know who the other father is, don’t' you?”

It didn't surprise him that Alex didn't answer him. The man was unfailingly loyal and he wouldn’t give away secrets. But his silence was answer enough. Scott drew in a breath and slowly let it out. “It's Remy, isn't it?”

Again, Alex said nothing. He looked at Scott for a moment longer, almost seeming to meet his gaze even through the sunglasses, and then without a word he turned around and left the room. 


	6. Chapter 6

It was hard to say goodbye. Hard to let go of a life that had been his for so long. Yet at the same time, it was exciting to be starting anew. One week after he left the mansion, Spencer was on an airplane flying out for Flagstaff with only two suitcases to his name. The rest of his stuff had been boxed up and put in storage with the help of his team where it would stay until he found himself an actual home. This place that he and Alex were renting in Flagstaff was just a temporary home. A place for them to stay for the duration of the pregnancy. Hopefully by the time the child was born, Spencer would know where he was going to be living and what exactly he was going to be doing with his life. Because he wasn’t just homeless now, he was also jobless.

When was the last time he could say that? Spencer thought back and tried to remember the last time he was actually without work. Did the period of time between his last job and academy training count? No, he didn’t think so, as he’d had a job waiting for him. Then it had to be when he was…sixteen. That’s right. Odd jobs and random things had run out and he was jobless for about a month before he found something new to do. Wow. It’d been a long time since he’d been without work. What was he going to do with himself? He needed something to do for the next six months.

A lot of that was going to depend on how his appointment with Dr. Nu went. Spencer had an appointment set up with her for two hours after his plane arrived. He had just hit the twelve week mark yesterday, the end of the first trimester, and Dr. Nu wanted to see him as quickly as possible to get all those early tests and questions out of the way and to make sure he and baby were doing well. Without realizing it, Spencer laid his palm over the small swell that was starting to show on his stomach. It was small, unnoticeable in his usual shirts, but it was there. More than once now he’d found himself just touching it. It was still so surreal some days. By touching his belly he was almost reminding himself that yes, there really was a life form in there, so very tiny right now. A life that _he_ was growing. One that was, finally, not making him feel quite so ill. The nausea was starting to taper off just slightly and at the moments that it was still bad, the bands that Hank had given him helped. He had them on now in hopes of getting through this flight a little easier.

Spencer adjusted in his seat and checked his watch. They’d only been in the air for an hour which meant he still had five hours and forty two minutes left of the flight. At least, according to the arrival time listed on his ticket. That didn’t take into account anything that might delay them. He wished that he could get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Not likely, though. He slept on the jet rides with the team all the time because the seats were extremely comfortable and because he trusted the people around him. His distrust of people and his discomfort around large groups combined with the uncomfortable seats on this flight and there was just no way in hell he was going to be able to nap the trip away.

Unfortunately, that left too much time for things like _thinking_ , which inevitably led his thoughts to one single topic.

Just thinking of him was enough to have the guilt starting to gnaw at his insides. Spencer shifted uncomfortably in his seat and turned his eyes down towards his lap, trying to ignore the strange looks his constant shifting earned him from the man in the seat next to him. He tried to push thoughts of Remy to the back of his mind. He’d rather think about the hard goodbyes he’d had with his friends than about things with Remy. Thinking about his favorite Cajun inevitably left him with a mix of feelings he had a hard time sorting out. Guilt was usually the most predominate one. That grew stronger when he thought of the letter he’d dropped into the mail just before he got into the cab and headed to the airport.

 _Coward_. His mind hissed that word at him over and over. It was apt, he knew. He had beaten himself up countless times over the past week for not telling Remy the truth while he was at the mansion. Instead, he’d taken the coward’s way and he’d written down his thoughts in a letter. A letter that Remy would receive when Spencer was far, far out of his reach. The guilt grew even more, twining together with fear as Spencer remembered what he’d put in that letter. He’d poured his heart out in that letter, telling Remy how he felt about him and what he wanted and he’d given the man an ultimatum, something that Spencer had sworn he’d never do.

He hadn’t mentioned the child.

Spencer knew that it was wrong. Remy had every right in the world to know his child. But Spencer needed the man to make the decision in there based off of what he felt, not because of a child. He needed to know the truth of what was in Remy’s heart. Only then could they find a way to move forward. Once Spencer knew the answer, only then would he give Remy the rest. Then he would tell him the rest of it. Maybe it was wrong to do it this way. But, dammit, it was all he could think of to do. He knew Remy well and he knew how the man thought. If he knew that Spencer was pregnant, all of those old fashioned southern values would demand that he ‘do the right thing’ by giving Spencer and the baby both his name. Though Spencer wanted that more than anything, he wanted Remy to make the choice for the _right_ reasons. For love. Maybe that made him a hopeless romantic and maybe it even made him an idiot. He didn’t care. He had to know the truth of Remy’s feelings. If Remy chose to be with Spencer before he even knew about the baby, Spencer would know his feelings were real and true and he’d happily build a life with the man. He’d even say yes if Remy asked him to marry him, something that Spencer had sworn he’d never do.

Marriage was a bit of a tricky area. Gay marriages technically were still illegal. Domestic partnerships were possible in some places but that was really the extent of it. _Unless_ one of the men happened to be, like Spencer, a male who was capable of getting pregnant. Special laws had been passed to encompass unique situations such as those. People had lobbied long and hard for equal rights for ‘mpregs’, as they were called, saying that it was unfair to deny a couple the right to marry when they had a biological child together. So laws had been passed that allowed two men to marry _only_ when one of them proved to be a male carrier. Unfortunately, it came with conditions and restrictions of its own.

In the eyes of the law, a male who could get pregnant was still considered male up to and until the point of marriage, or childbirth. Once a male carrier married their partner, they did more than just change their name. If Spencer ever married anyone, he would be, in the eyes of the law, the ‘wife’. Just as he would be legally listed as the ‘mother’ of any child he bore. It was the government’s way of handling such a unique situation as male pregnancy was. If Spencer married Remy, he’d still be allow to list himself as ‘male’ on any paperwork he filled out, but he would become Mrs. LeBeau, wife. It was the reason that quite a few male carriers refused to marry. They didn’t want to give up who they were, their very identity, just because of a twist in their genetics.

There were people who lobbied for equal rights for male carriers. They demanded that they have the right to stay true to who they were. But this had been the only compromise that had been able to be reached. If they allowed couples with a male carrier to stay Mr. and Mr., then what was to stop the gay rights movements form demanding equal treatment? Since they refused to give them that, but they recognized that a child should be able to have married parents, this was the solution they’d come up with and the one that had been in effect since ’63 when the law was first passed.

Spencer let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes, resting his head back against the seat. Thinking about all of this was doing nothing more than giving him a headache. He’d been going round and round about these things for the past week now and he was getting tired of treading over the same ground.

Determination filled him. He reached down into his messenger bag by his feet and pulled out a thick book. He was going to distract his brain and push these thoughts out even if it was just for a few hours.

Opening to the first page, he lost himself in the familiar story and tried to forget for just a few hours the troubles that were waiting for him.

CXCX

The headache that Spencer had been battling early on was full blown by the time his flight landed. It had been aided along by the kid three rows back who had spent much of the flight fighting with his sister, oftentimes right out in the aisle, and by the teenage girls that sat in front of him and talked excitedly in high pitched voices about the trip they’d just been on. Spencer learned more about the boys in their lives than he ever wanted to know. Then, once he was off the flight—which had arrived late, of course—he had to deal with the hassle of baggage claim and the annoying press of the crowd there. Stress had his shields a bit wobbly and he was fighting to keep the emotions of everyone from hitting him. All in all, by the time he got _out_ of the airport and outside, he was ready to find the nearest dark hole and climb inside of it.

Alex had the misfortune of coming up to Spencer right at that point. He walked up with a broad smile on his face and a cheerful “Hey, pidge! There you are!”

“Here I am. Amazing, isn’t it?” Spencer said sarcastically. “Are there any more obvious things you’d like to point out while we’re here, or might we find the car and out of here?”

The uncharacteristic sarcasm didn’t faze Alex in the least. He ignored the tone and took Spencer's bag from him. Then he gestured for him to follow with one hand. “We’re just right over here. I was pretty lucky; I got a spot up close.”

“Wonderful.”

Alex chuckled and shook his head. “So I take it your flight sucked?”

The look on Spencer's face was answer enough.

When they reached the car, Spencer went ahead and headed straight for the passenger’s door while Alex stored his bags in the back. He wasn’t that surprised to find that Alex had brought his car here. The familiar blue Ford Explorer was Alex’s baby; he had it for years and years now and he loved it. At the moment, Spencer thought he might love it, too. It was blessedly cool and silent inside of it. The minute that Spencer's door closed and the back hatch closed, he found himself surrounded by blessed silence. Cool, comfortable, _silence_. Of course it only lasted until Alex climbed in. But even then, that was no big deal. Spencer could handle Alex-noises. Those were familiar and comforting in their own way.

All of a sudden Spencer felt a shift in the emotions around him. He felt the familiar sensation of Alex brushing up against his shields. If he closed his eyes, he’d be able to actually see the warm colors of Alex’s emotional signature. In his mind’s eyes, Spencer always saw people’s emotional signatures in colors. Alex’s were generally fire type colors. Today they were warm reds and yellows and oranges kind of like a sunset. They were soothing and steady, easing some of the raw spots that had been building from other people’s emotions. Spencer sighed happily and let himself feel the presence of his brother.

The car was started and Spencer felt the vibrations of it as Alex pulled out of their parking spot and started out of there. Spencer didn’t bother opening his eyes. He just let himself rest there and relax. Little by little his tension drained away and the headache started to fade to a dull roar instead of the sharp throb it had been.

They’d been driving for about ten minutes when Spencer finally opened his eyes. He turned his head just enough to be able to smile over at his brother. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Alex snuck a look at him and he seemed to relax a little more too. His smile came just a little easier. “Headache going away?”

“Thankfully.”

“Well, rest up a bit more. We’ve got enough time to go drop off your stuff and let you splash some water on your face, maybe take a quick shower, and then we gotta head out for your appointment.”

Humor tickled the back of Spencer's throat and he swallowed down the chuckle that wanted to slide free. His eyes danced slightly as he smiled at Alex. “Yes, Dad.”

Alex snorted and reached out, shoving Spencer's shoulder a lot gentler than he usually might. “Shove it, shithead.”

He couldn’t hit back because Alex was driving, so he settled for glaring at him one last time before closing his eyes again. Alex’s suggestion was a good one. Once more Spencer let himself fall into the warm and soothing colors in his mind and he slowly drifted in and out of sleep until he felt the car slow and then finally come to a stop. When he opened his eyes, he found that they were parked in the driveway just outside of a cozy looking cottage style home. It was on a little piece of fenced in property that was spaced enough from the other houses to give them the feeling of at least some privacy. “Home sweet home.” Alex said with a grin. “It’s got three bedrooms and a half-finished patio out back that’s mostly enclosed. I thought we could fix it up, y’know, give us a little something to do while we figure other things out.”

“It looks nice.” Spencer said. He didn’t bother telling Alex that he wasn’t all that fussed about where it was that he lived while he was here. This was just a temporary home for him, something to hold them over until the pregnancy was done. So long as it had all the necessary rooms and amenities, he’d be happy. But the idea of a project to work on was an appealing one. That, more than anything else, caught his interest. “How much of the back patio is done?”

Alex snorted as he climbed out of the car. He met Spencer around at the back and opened up the back hatch to pull out his bags before Spencer could even think of grabbing them. “Not much of anything’s done back there. They got the patio itself laid out and the bare bones of the frame to enclose it and that’s about it. We’ll have to draw things up and get some good measurements before we can start to actually do anything.”

The project just got even more interesting. Spencer had always loved to plan things out and put them together. It was all numbers and math to make sure that everything fit right and then the rest was almost like a giant puzzle that he had to piece together just right. It was one area where he and Alex actually shared something with one another. Scott was hopeless when it came to building things. Wood shop had always been the bane of his existence. But Alex and Spencer had built countless things together, from Lego cities when they were young to a completely remodeled kitchen in the home Alex had owned before this last one. The man loved to move into a place, fix it up, and sell it when he moved on to the next place or the next job.

Spencer took note of the small things as Alex took him inside. The front door opened right into the right side of the living room. The floor plan between the living room and kitchen was wide open, separated only by a bar about halfway across, right where the carpet ended and it turned to hardwood flooring. A circular table was in the open space in the kitchen—their dining room, so to speak. Spencer walked into the living room, which boasted a single couch and a TV that was currently propped up on a milk crate.

Along the right side of the room right before the carpet ended was the entrance to a hallway. Spencer followed Alex over that direct. He turned into the hall and Alex pointed to a set of doors on their right, saying “The washer and dryer are in here.” Directly after them was another door. “This is the master bedroom.” Further down the hall at the very end was the entrance to a bathroom, which held just a toilet and a sink. Alex explained that the other door in there led to a room with a bathtub and shower. “The master suite has a small bathroom like this, with just the toilet and sink, and it’s got a door too to connect it to the tub.”

On the left side of the hall were two doors that were the two other bedrooms. It was the other bedroom nearest the bathroom that Alex led him to. Inside, Spencer found the room held a cot and a dresser and nothing more. Most all of Spencer's stuff had been put into storage but Spencer's bed was being shipped here. Until then, he’d be sleeping on the cot. Alex set his bags down next to the dresser and look around the room. “I put you here instead of the master suite because it’s quieter back here and your window opens up to the backyard, so if you pull the blinds up you won’t have to worry about people on the street seeing in. I thought you’d like that better than the master suite.”

“I do, thank you.” Spencer agreed. He looked out the window and he could see the partially built patio that Alex had been talking about. It really was barely started, wasn’t it? It looked like it started at the far end of the house and only came down partially along the other bedroom. “You know, if we extended this, made it over the back of the house, we could put a door from this bedroom and the other one that would lead out to it. A sort of private exit to the patio.”

Alex stepped up alongside him and looked out the window as well. “Huh. Maybe.” Pulling back, he clapped his hand on Spencer's shoulder. “Ah, well, plan later, pidge. Right now you’ve gotta go hop in your shower and then it’s off to the doc for you. You don’t wanna be late for your first appointment.”

“Are you going to mother me this whole pregnancy, Alexander?”

Laughing, Alex gave him a push in the direction of the door. “Yep. Parenting, Alex Summers style. Now get your stinky ass in the shower and be quick about it or I’m gonna haul you outta here naked and dripping.”

Spencer's laughter echoed behind him as he headed to the bathroom.

CXCX

It took almost a month before the letter dropped into a DC mailbox finally found its way to Remy. Not through any fault of the post office or the postal service. No, it was delayed because its recipient went onto a fact-finding mission with Logan that took them away from the house for three weeks. It wasn’t until they came back home, dirty and tired, that the letter was delivered to its owner. Even then, it was just passed off to him with the rest of his mail, and all of it was set down on the dresser top while Remy went and took a long, hot shower.

The pile of mail wasn’t touched again until the next morning. After his shower, Remy had gone to bed despite the fact that it had been only one in the afternoon. He didn’t wake up until ten a.m. the next day. He carried the stack down with him and swung through the kitchen, snagging a cup of coffee before heading out to a shaded spot on the back porch where he could drink his coffee, smoke, and peruse through his mail at his leisure.

Remy was halfway through his cigarette when he reached Spencer's letter, halfway through the pile. His heart sped up slightly when he saw the familiar handwriting scrawled over the front of the letter. It had been a month since Spencer had left here, a month since the two of them had last spoken. This tension between them was killing Remy. He hated it. Hated not talking to Spencer like he always did, not being able to just call him up and chat about everything or nothing or whatever was in between. This thing between them nagged at Remy like a toothache. Dull, achy, and always there. It was why he’d taken this mission with Logan. He’d wanted to have something to do to distract himself from everything. Something that would take him away from the house, away from his thoughts about Spencer and their night together, away from the memories of that night they’d shared, and away from the guilt he felt each time he saw Rogue.

The time away had done him a world of good. Though the guilt was still there, and he had a feeling it might always be, Remy felt a little more clear headed than he had in quite a while. It had helped that it was Logan he went with. Logan was never afraid to tell Remy when he thought he was acting like an idiot and he also respected a person enough to back off when it was obvious that they needed to be left to think. It was because of him that Remy had found the strength to come back home and do something he should’ve done a long time ago—he broke things off with Rogue. To his immense surprise, she hadn’t been upset. If anything she had been resigned. “I knew it was coming.” She’d told him sadly. Then she’d given him a sweet smile, one of those ones she so rarely showed, and she’d lightly touched his cheek with gloved fingers. “I hope you two are happy, sugar.”

Pushing that memory backwards, Remy put his cigarette between his lips and set the other letters down before he carefully opened the letter from Spencer. He pulled the letter out and began to read.

_My dearest Remy,_

_I’ve thought about all the different ways that I could write this letter. I feel like I’ve been sitting here for hours trying to figure out how to get this just right. It’s important to me, you see, that I do this right. This letter is one of the most important ones that I will ever write and I don’t want to get it wrong. It’s cowardly of me to put this all into a letter, I know. I should’ve had the courage to say all this to your face. But I have never been a courageous man._

_You’re probably worried by now, aren’t you? I’m sorry. I’m not doing the best job at this. I’ve written this out in so many ways already and none of them seem right. Maybe it’s time I tried a bit of the bluntness that Alex always employs. Here goes._

_Remy, I love you. I’ve been in love with you for years now._

_I would’ve carried this secret inside of me for always if it hadn’t all been brought to a head this way. But things changed after that night we shared. I can’t pretend anymore, Remy. I can’t hide. Having been with you, having that little taste of what life could be like for us, I can’t go back to being just your friend. I’m sorry. I had to at least tell you. Even if you choose to be with her, at least I’ll know and I’ll be able to start salvaging what’s left of our friendship. But I can’t keep living with this hope burning in me all the time._

_There are other things in my life right now that are going on. Important things. I’ve had to look inside of myself and make some serious choices about who I am, what I want to do, and where I want to be. I want you in my life, Remy. That’s one fact that I know is absolute. I want to share my life with you and build a life with the two of us together. But I can’t just sit around and wait for you to decide what you want to do. I can’t sit and hope and wait for you to finally wise up and see that Rogue isn’t the one for you. I’m so tired of watching her hurt you time and time again and yet you go back to her each time while all the while I’m over here on the sidelines, wishing you would just look over and see me, see someone who would treasure you like the jewel you truly are._

_I need to start thinking of myself and my needs. To that end, I’ve quit my job at the Bureau, and I’m moving away from DC. I know I’ve probably shocked you with that. Hold on, because I’m not done yet. I’m not telling you where I’m going. Don’t bother asking my brothers or my friends, either, as I’ve made them promise not to tell you._

_I know you, Remy. I know that the first thing you’re going to want to do after reading what I put is come find me and find out what’s going on. That’s why I asked them not to tell you where to find me. I don’t want you to just impulsively rush after me. I want you to think. Think about what you want and about who you want. Yet I know you well enough to know that you’re still going to try and find me, despite that I said. You’re stubborn that way. I just ask one thing of you. One favor. If all you want is the same friendship that we’ve always had, please, don’t find me. Please. Just let Scott know and he’ll deliver the message, and I will see you when I’ve had time to come to terms with it. That sounds selfish, I know, but for once in my life, I’m going to be selfish._

_If you decide to come after me, then I ask that you really, truly know your mind and your heart before you do. Be sure that I’m who you want because I promise you, I won’t settle for being second best._

_I’m sorry that it’s come down to this—an ultimatum in a letter. I’m so sorry that things had to end this way._

_Know that, no matter what choice you make, I will always love you. And maybe one day, if you choose to be with her, maybe we can find a shadow of the friendship that was once there._

_Ever yours,_

_Spencer_

No sooner had he finished the letter than he was moving. His coffee cup and his other mail lay forgotten behind him as he raced inside the house. Later, Logan would find them when having a smoke and he would gather the mail for his friend and bring them inside. At the time Remy didn’t even think about it. He was too busy racing inside and up to his bedroom.

Fifteen minutes later he was striding into Scott’s office without even bothering to knock. The man in question had been working on papers when his door burst open and he looked up quickly to see who had barged in. When he saw who it was, some of the battle-ready tension drained away and a tension of an entirely different kind took its place. He took in the Cajun’s appearance with one sweep of his eyes. The rucksack slung over his shoulder, the firm look on his face, the tension visible in the usually relaxed stride. Scott sat back in his chair and watched the man stalk up to his desk, and he knew. “You’re going after him.”

“I love him.” Remy said the three words simply and honestly.

A jolt of happiness ran through Scott. On the outside, he kept calm, arching one eyebrow. “Took you long enough to figure it out.”

Remy shrugged one shoulder, stopping right in front of Scott’s desk. “Y’ gonna tell me where he is?”

“Nope.” Scott smirked at him. “I promised I wouldn’t. Besides, after the hell you’ve put him through taking your sweet time with this, it’ll do you some good to actually have to work for it. He knows you; he won’t have made it easy for you.”

“I _will_ find him.” Remy said firmly.

“I’ve no doubt about it. Just make sure you know your mind when you do.” Here Scott hardened. He leaned forward and folded his arms on the desk as he pinned Remy in place with that serious look that was usually reserved for enemies. “He’s hurt enough for you over the years. Don’t you dare hurt him again. Or it’ll be Alex and I that you deal with, and trust me, you don’t want that.”

Remy didn’t even blink at the threat. He just nodded his head before turning and leaving. He’d known that Scott wouldn’t tell him anything; still, he’d had to try. Now he knew it was up to him to find the man. Scott was right, Spencer wasn’t going to make this easy. He knew Remy too well and he knew Remy’s tricks. He’d make damn sure it was hard for Remy to find him. That was fine. Remy wasn’t going to let that stop him.

He was going to find his man, no matter how long it took. He wasn’t letting Spencer get away.


	7. Chapter 7

It was a cheerful afternoon and the sun was shining warmly into Alex and Spencer's little cottage while Alex puttered around the kitchen making lunch. He had a skillet out on the stove, cooking up some grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches—his and Spencer's favorite lunch. The kitchen was still mostly bare except for the round table they’d brought in here and the couple of garage sale chairs that they’d added. Though they’d been here for a month now, they still had little in the way of furniture. They had the important things, such as their bed and a comfortable couch, but the rest of it was being picked up here and there as they came across it, mostly through second hand stores or the occasional garage sale they passed. Neither man was too worried about supplying furniture for the rest of the house, a house to which they would only be staying in for a few months. They did, however, have a new shipment of lumber sitting on the back patio, ready for work to be started. They’d planned together how to extend and then finish enclosing the patio. Now it was time to start the work.

But that was for after lunch. For now, Spencer was down in the shower, unwinding from this morning’s appointment with Dr. Nu, and Alex was out here cooking lunch and reporting in to Scott. They’d already moved past the little bits of catching up—it had been a week since they’d last spoken, and now they moved on to the topic that inevitably came up in any conversation anymore.

“ _Any sign of Remy yet?_ ” Scott asked.

That was a topic guaranteed to get at least an eye roll out of Alex. He would never understand his brother and what he was doing with this whole Remy thing. None of it made any sense to him. “No. The idiots. It’s been, what, two weeks since he tore outta there? What the hell’s taking him so long?”

“ _Well, Sherlock said he wasn’t going to make it easy on him._ ”

“Which is stupid.” Alex tossed out.

“ _No, not really. Not if you think about it from Spencer's point of view._ _If you think about it that way, it makes sense._ ”

Made sense? How? What about any of this made any sort of sense? Alex rolled his eyes again and flipped the sandwich by tossing it up in the air. It landed perfectly on the other side and he gave himself a silent cheer. “I don’t see how any of it makes any sense.” He continued on in their conversation. “Why not just tell him where we are? Why is he insisting on hiding from him?”

“Because, if he comes to me, I want it to be because he wants me, not because he feels obligated.” Spencer said behind him.

The sound of his voice had Alex jumping. He spun around, already scowling, to find Spencer standing there with a smirk on his lips. “Dammit, pidge. Quit sneaking up on me! Why do you always gotta do that when I’m on the phone?”

“Why do I always come out to find you talking about me on the phone?” Spencer countered. “You could just try asking me whatever it is you’re asking Scotty.”

Without skipping a beat, Alex put the phone on speaker and set it back on the base. That freed up his hands to cook with and brought Scott into the conversation with them. Alex made his way over towards the fridge. “Fine then.” He said, pausing only long enough to bend and grab the milk. He straightened back up and set it on the counter. “We were talking about Remy and about the fact that he hasn’t found you yet.”

There was only a small clench around the eyes to give any indicator that Spencer was the least bit bothered by their conversation. Otherwise, he was completely composed as he went to the cupboard to grab two glasses. “I’d be highly impressed if he’d found us already. I laid false trails to give me a head start and to give him time to really think, not just react. If he still manages to find me, I’ll know he’s serious.”

Laughter echoed from the phone base. “ _You do realize how crazy that sounds, don’t you?_ ” Scott asked.

Shrugging, Spencer took the milk from Alex and filled the glasses. “I know. It fits him perfectly, though. You have to admit, Scotty, he’s a jump into things sort of guy. This…I just need him to be sure.”

There was a faint quaver to those last words. Both brothers detected it and both reacted in their own ways. Alex brushed up against him while he grabbed some plates from the cupboard, a silent sort of support, and Scott quickly changed the subject. “ _So let’s get down to the real reason I called. How’d the doctor’s appointment go today? Alex wouldn’t tell me anything until you got out here._ ”

That had Spencer pausing in the act of taking the glasses to the table. It was his turn to shoot his brother a scowl while Alex was the one smirking. Even holding a glass Spencer still managed to make an obscene gesture. Alex laughed and turned back to the stove to take the sandwich off the skillet. “Yeah, yeah, love you too, pidge!”

“You’re enjoying this way too much, Alexander. It’s not funny!” Spencer set the glasses down just a little harder than needed, making one of them spill onto his hand. He cursed and brought his hand up to lick the milk off before it dripped.

“Oh, it’s totally funny.” Alex brought over two plates, each with their own sandwich, and he set them down at the table. “You just have no sense of humor.”

“No sense of…now wait a minute!” Offended, Spencer straightened up and glared even harder than before.

Their argument had no chance to get into full swing. A dry “ _Children_ ” cut them off at the pass. The two transferred their scowls from each other over to the phone base where their older brother’s voice was coming from. _“Do you think you two could stop your bickering long enough to actually tell me what the hell is going on before I decide to fly out there and knock your heads together?_ ”

“It’s not that big of a deal, Scotty. Alex is just making it out to be more than it is.” Spencer quickly tried to reassure his brother. Still, despite those reassurances, he was blushing just the slightest bit as he settled down into his chair and looked down at his sandwich so he could avoid looking at Alex. “Everything checked out okay at my appointment. I’m sixteen weeks and two days along and, though she’d like to see just a bit more weight, she says that both the fetus and I are growing healthily. All of my tests so far have come back clear and there’s nothing to indicate any problems. The nausea has tapered off too, thankfully, and I’m finally able to start eating more. All in all, I am doing rather well, she says.”

“ _So what is it that Alex is finding so funny?_ ”

The blush in Spencer's cheeks came back even more. He heard Alex snicker and he shot him a glare. “It’s nothing. It’s not even that funny. He’s just being an idiot.”

“It _is_ funny.” Alex insisted. He took a bite of his sandwich and grinned around it. “He almost broke the ultrasound machine.”

Spencer almost dropped his sandwich piece. “I did not! It didn’t _break_. It just didn’t work!”

“ _The ultrasound didn’t work? Why not_?”

“Because our walking Taser generates too much electrical energy.” Alex teased.

Picking up a piece of his crust, Spencer threw it at his brother, who simply caught it and shot it right back. Ducking quickly, Spencer grabbed another piece so that he could launch it as well. Then Scott’s voice broke into the middle of things and both Spencer and Alex froze in surprise. “ _How many times do I have to tell you two not to throw food?_ ” Scott said in the voice of a beleaguered parent. “ _Sherlock, quit throwing things at Alex. I know he’s an idiot but he can’t seem to help it. Alex, quit antagonizing him. Physiological reactions with our mutations are outside of our control and you know that. Now, can the two of you behave long enough to finish telling me what’s going on, or am I going to have to place a call to Dr. Nu and get all my information from there?”_

Any thoughts of a fight vanished as the two brothers looked at one another and wondered just how the hell Scott managed to do that. He wasn’t here and he couldn’t see them. How had he known they were throwing food? ‘What the hell?’ Alex mouthed at him, wide eyed. Spencer shook his head and mouthed back ‘I don’t know.’ Alex turned towards the phone base and stared at it a moment before calmly saying “Sometimes you creep me out, Scott.”

“ _Good. It’ll keep you on your toes. Now, report._ ”

Spencer gave one final incredulous shake of his head before giving in and ‘reporting’. “You know I’ve always had to be care of things like MRI’s and such. Not just because the electricity is tempting, but because my body naturally produces more electricity than the average individuals. Dr. Nu believes that pregnancy has caused my body to produce a little more and it seems to be just enough to actually prevent the ultrasound machine from working properly. But she says not to worry, that it’s a natural part of me and my mutation and so she’s sure it won’t harm the fetus at all. However, she recommends avoiding anything medical tests with machinery until after the pregnancy is over. She told me we’ll just have to do some things the old fashioned way.”

“And we’ll just get to be surprised on the gender.” Alex added in. He’d been all for trying to find out what gender the baby was going to be. Spencer didn’t seem the least bit bothered by not knowing. If anything, he was content to simply wait.

The conversation quickly wound down after that and soon the call was ended and the two men were done with their lunch. Spencer took their dishes to the sink to wash them since Alex had been the one to cook. It was a system that worked for them and that they’d always used each time they stayed together. Alex came and perched on the counter next to him while Spencer washed the few dishes they’d used. “So, you got any plans this afternoon, pidge?”

“I was thinking of going into town, maybe. I haven’t taken much time to explore the area and there are a few things I need, anyways.” Rising off the plate in his hand, he stuck it in the strainer to dry.

“Want me to come with you?”

The casually spoken offer had Spencer smothering a smile. Alex had always been on the protective side. Now that Spencer was finally starting to show a little, at least when he was dressed casually here at home, Alex’s protectiveness had grown a little, becoming more apparent the further along that Spencer got. Instead of irritating him as it might’ve done before, Spencer found himself more amused by it than anything else. He was finding himself surprisingly mellow about quite a few things. “No, it’s all right, Xander. I know you were planning on starting some of the work on the patio this afternoon. You go ahead and do that; I won’t be gone long.”

The use of ‘Xander’ had Alex smiling a bit. Only Spencer ever called him that. It stemmed from when he was younger and had had a bit of trouble saying ‘Alexander’. Whenever he tried to say it, it came out ‘Al’xander’, and somewhere along the way it had transformed to Xander. No one else got away with calling him that. Scott occasionally called him Lex, but that was it.

Reaching out, Alex caught a bit of Spencer's hair and gave a small tug, chuckling at the swat and indignant look it earned him. “All right, then. But take the Explorer in case you come across something you wanna bring home, ‘kay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Spencer waved a hand at him and went back to washing the last glass while Alex headed out to the back porch. He knew Alex wanted him to take the Explorer not just in case he found something, but because he felt it was safer than the little Escort that Spencer was driving. He’d gotten the car from a used lot about a week after his arrival and Alex had loathed the car on sight. He felt his Explorer was much safer for his brother and niece-or-nephew.

The dishes were quickly finished and Spencer soon was grabbing a sweater, which just so happen to be one of Alex’s hoodies, and then he was grabbing the keys off the hook on the kitchen wall and his cell phone from the counter and then he was out the door. Best to get on out of here before Alex caught up with him and decided that he really should come along. There was no telling with him. He was creepily domestic in some ways lately. The protectiveness was familiar to Spencer; it was the other things that got to him. Like Alex’s seemingly obsessive need to feed Spencer. He was constantly trying to get him to eat. Not just eat, but eat _healthy_. Spencer shook his head over that as he climbed into the Explorer and got comfortable. He got buckled and the key in the ignition and was soon pulling out of the driveway.

Now, it wasn’t like Spencer didn’t already eat healthy to begin with, so Alex’s restrictions weren’t really that hard to live with. It was just strange to watch _Alex_ of all people insisting that they buy organic this, or low-sodium that, or other healthier options. The one area that he did push that was driving Spencer absolutely crazy was the issue of coffee. Alex fell firmly into the category of people that believed that no coffee was best during pregnancy. It didn’t matter how many statistics and facts that Spencer quoted, or how many articles he showed that said that a single cup of coffee a day wasn’t a bad thing, this was something on which Alex wouldn’t be budge.

So, of course, the first place Spencer went to today was a Starbucks.

He smiled happily as he took his first sip off the white chocolate mocha he held. He hadn’t had any coffee for a few days now; this tasted _heavenly_. There was no way he could explain to Alex just how necessary coffee was in his life. Especially as sleep was rather hard to come by lately. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t seem to get comfortable, and he couldn’t seem to shut his brain off. During the day he could find countless things to distract himself. In the middle of the night, there was nothing to distract him from all the fears that plagued him. Nothing to keep him distracted from worrying about this baby, about how it was growing and whether it would be healthy, about whether or not he was going to make a good parent. And there was nothing to keep him from thinking about Remy. Those little fears crept to life at three a.m., whispering to him that Remy was never going to come, that he was going to come to his senses mid-search and go right back to Rogue and he, Spencer, was going to be alone.

Spencer firmly shoved those thoughts back. It wasn’t the middle of the night right now. It was the middle of the day and he had things to do. Things that could keep him distracted from this. Firmly controlling his wandering thoughts, he put his attention back on the road and on his destination. There were errands he needed to run. He had to stop off and pick up some bathroom items, new shampoo and the like, and he needed to find a new pair of pants or two to replace the ones that were starting to get just a little snug. That right there was the main reason that he hadn’t wanted Alex coming with him. To get comfortable pants, Spencer was going to have to hit a maternity store and there was no telling how that would go

Taking the turn that would lead him to the maternity store, Spencer figured he might as well get that part of things done and over with first.

Fifteen minutes later found the genius outside of a maternity store titled ‘Baby Bump’. He self-consciously smoothed his hands over the front of his sweater just to make sure that no one would be able to see the small swell underneath. If he was careful, he could go in here and pick up a few things and maybe people would just assume that he was shopping for a significant other. He might just be able to get away with no one realizing that the clothes were for him. It wasn’t that he was _ashamed_ or anything like that. Of course not! He just had a very strong sense of self-preservation honed by years of being the ‘odd one’ and that sense was telling him it’d be stupid to court trouble by openly advertising that he was pregnant before he had to. No need to invite trouble if he could just quietly slip underneath everyone’s radar.

He drew in a deep breath and steeled himself. Then he hurried forward and into the store.

CXCX

Twenty minutes later he emerged from the store much more relaxed than he’d been when he went in. Not only had that been much easier than he’d thought it would be, it had actually ended up being kind of nice. ‘Baby Bump’ was a store that he quickly discovered carted to both pregnant women _and_ men. They had a whole section of clothes that were male maternity clothes. And, to top it off, they’d even had a male employee who worked that section who was kind, friendly, and who made the whole process as painless as possible. Spencer had come in already knowing what his size was, having measured and figured it out at home, and he’d had a clear idea of what it was he needed, which made it all go even faster.

He was feeling rather good after a trip like that. Just a little more at ease. So it made it all the more startling when he was walking down the street and someone suddenly bumped into him hard enough to knock him into the wall of a building beside him. He barely had his balance before someone spit on the ground at his feet and an oft-heard slur was spat out with it. “Fucking fag.”

Spencer's muscles clenched down in preparation for trouble. He pushed against the wall, straightening himself up, and he lifted his chin. There was no way he was going to cower here. This wasn’t the first time he’d been insulted like this in his life and it wouldn’t be the last. Inside, though, he was cursing himself for being stupid enough to not think about the fact that he was carrying a bag emblazoned with the Baby Bump logo on the outside, clearly labeling it maternity. Obviously someone had looked at the bag and come to the right conclusion.

When he looked up, he found two guys and a woman standing there, all of them staring at him with expressions that carried disgust in them. One guy, the one with his arm around his woman, curled his lip up, and Spencer would bet he was the one that had spit before. “Freaks like you shouldn’t be out in public.”

“Look at its eyes!” The woman said in a tone full of disgust. “It’s a mutant, too!”

The ‘it’ hit Spencer and had him wincing. He’d heard that before, too, but it never got any easier. He needed to get himself out of here before this progressed to something far worse than it was. “Excuse me.” He made himself say in a calm and even voice. Then he tried to step around them and continue on down the sideway.

“That’s right, get the hell out of here.” The guy without the girl said. “Freak!” And before Spencer could even blink, he found himself covered in the content of the guy’s soda cup. Their jeering laughter filled the air as they walked away and left him standing there dripping.

Spencer brought one hand up to swipe across his face. He looked down at his shaking hand and tried to get past the shock of the moment. It never failed to stun him just how randomly cruel people could be. He hadn’t done anything to them! He hadn’t been doing anything but walking down the street. His only crime was in carrying a bag from a maternity store. If he hadn’t had that, they would’ve just walked right past him, just like everyone else. Just like the people around him were doing now. Everyone was giving him a wide berth, their eyes darting furtively away. All except one.

A soft hand settled onto Spencer's arm, making him jerk back in surprise. He looked over to find an older woman there, concern lighting up her bright blue eyes as she looked up at him. Her hand came to his arm once more and this time he didn’t jump. “You poor thing.” She had a husky voice, like someone who had smoked one too many cigarettes in her life, but it carried so much kindness to it. “Come on, sweetheart. Come with me. We’ll get you cleaned up right.”

She steered him to the right, into the building that he’d been knocked into, and Spencer didn’t even protest. He just let her sweep him inside. She led him through the front door and into a place that almost instantly started to soothe Spencer. It was quieter in here, with classical music playing faintly in the background, and there were books everywhere. He looked around and saw aisles of books, a children’s nook over in the corner with stuff animals, a rocking chair, and children’s books, an small book displays set up here and there. This was a bookstore. She’d brought him into a bookstore. He had time only for that brief look around. She kept pulling on him, taking him towards the back of the store, leading him past a young girl who was watching them both with sympathy on her face and a hand over her heart.

“Mind the store, River.” The woman called out to the girl.

Spence was taken through a door and into what had to be her back storeroom. He found himself sat down on a very comfortable chair. “Go on and get that sweater off, sweetheart. It’s completely covered in soda. I’ll go and get you a wet rag to wipe your face off with. Did they hurt you at all? River said she saw you hit the wall out there. She was watching through the window and she called to me when those assholes started.”

The bubbling speech rolled over Spencer, but hearing the woman say ‘assholes’ had him looking up with surprise. The woman caught his stare and her face transformed with a wicked smile that took years off her looks. “What? You never heard a grandmother swear before?” She teased him.

“Not really, no.” Spencer answered honestly. He set his bags down beside his chair and then started to peel Alex’s sweater off.

The woman was waiting when he finally got the sweater off. She took the sweater from him and traded it for a towel that was wet down on one half of it. “Here, I’ll take that and see if I can rinse some of the soda out for you. Go on and get your face wiped off.” She told him firmly. “And why shouldn’t I call them assholes? That’s what they are. How dare they treat you like that? What gave them the right to harass any human being that way?”

“I should’ve been thinking clearer.” He had no idea why he was defending them, but the words sprang to his lips anyways. “If I had been, I would’ve put my sunglasses on or my contacts in, and I wouldn’t have carried that bag so openly. Advertising being a mutant male carrier is just asking for trouble.”

“Hogwash!” The woman snapped. She spun away from the sink by the wall and glared at him. She flipped her long gray braid back over her shoulder, out of her way, and fisted her hands on her hips to glare at him. For a pixie like woman whose head just reached his shoulder, she sure had that stern look down pat. It was a look Spencer remembered on his mother’s face from when he was younger and he’d just done something she considered absolutely foolish. “This wasn’t nothing you did and you didn’t ask for any of it. This was on them and their prejudice, not on you. Now quit talking nonsense and get your face washed before it starts to dry.”

There was only one response that Spencer could think of to that. “Yes, ma’am.”

Humor danced across her face. She turned back to the sink and finished rinsing his sweater, draping it over to the edge to dry, and then she made her way around boxes and back over towards him. He was just finishing wiping his neck and hands and had given up on his hair until he could get home to rinse it. The woman took one look at him and made a soft “Hmm” sound. She held her hand out. “Here, hand over the towel and I’ll get this bit outta your hair for you.” She didn’t really give him a chance to argue it. Taking the towel, she started using it to wipe down parts of hair with a surprisingly gentle touch.

The door to the main store opened and the girl from the front, River, poked her head back. “Nonna Honey? Miz Bea’s on the phone and she wants to know what time you want her to drop off that box of party stuff?”

“You tell her to just bring em on by to the house any time after dinner.” The woman—Honey, it would seem—told her. She never turned her attention away from Spencer's hair.

River flashed Spencer a brief smile and then darted back out.

A little unsure and still quite a bit more shaken up from things than he’d care to admit to, Spencer drew in a steadying breath and tried to will himself to relax, not even noticing how he brought his hand up to rest on his stomach. His voice was determinedly calm when he said “Thank you very much for helping me clean up, ma’am.”

“It’s no trouble, no trouble at all, sweetheart.” Her voice softened a little more and he felt one of her hands actually stroke over his hair in a gesture he didn’t think was meant to help dry it. “How’re you doing? That had to shake you up something awful.”

“I’m okay.”

There was a shakiness to those two words that gave away his lie. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to take another steadying breath. This shouldn’t bother him so much. It wasn’t the first time he’d been harassed. He’d long ago stopped letting it get to him. If he let it get to him each time he was picked on, he’d spend his whole life being miserable. People always found something to give him trouble over. If it wasn’t his mutation, it was his looks, or him being a carrier, his sexuality, his intelligence. There was always _something_. He hadn’t cried over it since he was a teenager! Yet to his horror he felt tears burning at the backs of his eyes. Even knowing that it was just because of hormones didn’t help.

Honey made a soft sound and Spencer felt her move the towel away from his hair. Then, stunning him completely, she wrapped her slender arms around him and pulled him in until his head was resting against her stomach. With one hand she stroked at his hair. “It’s okay now, sweetheart, you’re okay.” She murmured to him. “You’re safe now.”

The warmth of her emotions wrapped around him as surely as her arms had and Spencer was horrified to find that a few tears escaped to drip against the flannel shirt he was pressed against. A few more tears slipped free and his breathing hitched slightly. But with the help of the comforting emotions emanating from her, he slowly got himself under control once more.

When his breathing was finally steady once more, Honey pulled back. She used the towel to wipe his cheeks in a gentle, no-nonsense way that took the edge off his embarrassment. “There,” She said, smiling at him. “Better, now?”

He nodded at her. “Yes. Thank you.”

“I told you, it’s no problem. You can sit back here and relax for a moment, or you can go ahead and go take a look around while I dig up a bag to put your sweater in. We don’t want it to get the rest of your stuff wet, too.”

Of course, Spencer chose to go wander the store. The loose shirt he’d been wearing underneath the sweat was somehow still dry and though it didn’t completely hide his bump, it offered him enough protection to feel at least somewhat comfortable as he went out into the store and started to wander the aisles. Spencer quickly decided that he’d stepped into a little slice of Heaven here. The store was full of books of all different kinds. Children’s, adult’s, young adults, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, classics, poetry…the list went on and on. Some were new, some were second hand, but all were in good condition. He found a spot at the back that had him smiling brightly, his troubles momentarily forgotten. It was a whole section of classics, written in foreign languages. He absolutely loved reading in Italian or French. They had a flair for words that was so rare to find anywhere else.

By the time Honey came back out with his sweater all bagged up for him, there was a stack of books under his arm and he was reaching out for another. The woman took one look at him and let out a husky laugh. “I had a feeling you were a book lover.”

“You have an amazing selection of books in here.” Spencer's face was lit with pleasure as he looked around at the store and back to her. “Your store is wonderful. The atmosphere, the layout, the selection—I think I’m in love here. I can see myself returning here frequently.”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you.” Honey teased. She passed the bag with the sweater over to Spencer and took his stack from him, looking them over as she held them for him. “You’ve got quite a selection you’ve chosen here. Proust, Voltaire, Kent, Robert Jordan, Gail Martin. Someone taught you to appreciate literature.”

Spencer shrugged one shoulder and gave a half smile. “My mother was a professor of fifteenth century literature. She taught me to appreciate books from an early age.”

“It’s rare to find someone as young looking as you that enjoys reading as you so obviously do. You wouldn’t happen to be looking for work, would you?”

The random question threw him for a moment. He froze in the act of skimming the back of the book he held. “Work?”

“Yeah.” She smiled broadly at him. “I need a little extra help around the shop. It’d be good to have someone in here who loves books just as much as I do.”

“Oh, well, I’d love to,” and really, he would, “but I’m only in Flagstaff until the end of September, early October at the latest.” Best as they figured, the baby was due mid-September, and he would need recovery time afterwards.

She waved her free hand dismissively in the air. “That’s not a problem. I’m just looking for some summer help. River only works part time and I need someone to help out through our tourist season. I can’t promise what the hours would be and the pay is minimum wage, but you’re free to read during the downtime. It’ll be an easy going job for you even as you get a little further along.”

“You barely even know me.” Spencer found himself saying. His mind was racing, unable to quite believe that an opportunity like this was just falling in his lap. A temporary job in a bookstore with someone who already knew he was a carrier, knew he was a mutant, and _didn’t care_? It seemed too good to be true!

Honey’s smile grew a little brighter. “I know enough to be getting on with. I’m a pretty good judge of characters and you seem like a sweet enough boy to me. So, what do you say? You interested in work?”

It was crazy. The woman didn’t even know his name! Yet Spencer was a pretty good judge of character himself and Honey had showed herself to be kind, spunky and funny, definitely someone he thought he’d like to know. Her offer was perfect for him, almost tailor made it seemed, and Spencer found that he couldn’t turn it away. Not an opportunity like this. His lips curved up into a smile. “I say I’d love to, ma’am. It sounds wonderful.”

His words had Honey beaming at him. “Wonderful! Come on up here, then, and we’ll ring you up and pull out the paperwork.” She gestured for him to follow her and led him up to the counter. “An none of this ma’am business, sweetheart. You just go on and call me Nonna or Nonna Honey.” His books were set down on the counter beside River, telling her “You ring him on up, River-girl, while I go get the paperwork ready for him to fill out.”

The teenager was grinning broadly at him as she started to ring him up at the register. “So you’re going to work here, huh?”

“It would appear so.”

“Well I’m River an it’s nice to meet you.” She stuck her hand across the counter and held it out to him.

“I’m Spencer.” He introduced himself. Though shaking hands wasn’t usually something he did, he swallowed down his discomfort and took her hand in his and was caught off guard by a tingle at the touch. He looked down and saw a faint glow around her hand when she drew it back. The glow intensified until finally coalescing into a ball of light in her palm. The little ball moved, zipping around the stack of books before flying up and disappearing in a small flash. He watched it all with a smile on his face. When he looked back at her, her eyes shone just slightly with a hint of the light she’d just made.

“Welcome to The Happy Booker, Spencer.”


	8. Chapter 8

The clattering of pans woke Spencer from a really delicious dream. He lay in his bed and drew the blankets up over his head in an effort to drown out the sounds from the kitchen in the hopes that maybe he could slip back into his dream and pick back up where he’d left off. Another loud clatter kept that from happening. Spencer blinked open sleepy eyes and wiped one hand over them until they were clear enough to read the clock. He saw the time there and scowled. He had absolutely nothing to do this this morning; he didn’t have to be to work until one. So why the hell was he being woken up at six fifteen in the freaking morning?

There was going to be no going back to sleep. Not now that he was actually awake. Spencer yawned and stretched himself out, wincing when his right calf gave a protesting twinge. He lifted that leg and stretched his ankle and toes to ease the cramping. Leg cramps were becoming just a little too frequent for his tastes. Unfortunately, they were completely normal, he knew. He’d read plenty about them in the pregnancy books he had. They were just one of those _wonderful_ things that seemed to happen during pregnancy.

He absently slipped a hand underneath the blanket and down towards his bare stomach. The need to put a hand on his belly was getting more and more, especially now that he actually had a stomach that looked pregnant. At nineteen weeks, he’d finally started to really fill out. There wasn’t any real denying it any longer. Over the past three weeks since he’d bought his first set of maternity clothes, he’d become exceedingly grateful for them. The fetus seemed to be growing quite a bit. All normal, he knew, and Dr. Nu assured him he was not only healthy, he could actually do with gaining just a bit more weight. Stroking his hand over his stomach, Spencer snorted lightly. Yeah. Gain a bit more weight. He’d get right on that one. It wasn’t like he wasn’t eating— _all the time_. He felt constantly hungry and Alex was always eager to offer him something or other.

A light kick against his hand jerked Spencer out of his thoughts and had him smiling. Those were new. He’d only been feeling the kicks for about three days now. Before that, they’d just felt like little bubbles of gas, something he’d brushed off and not really thought about. Then they’d gotten a bit stronger. Now, he knew exactly what they were. There were no words to describe the amazing feeling. He had thought for sure that he’d freak out the first time he felt any kind of kicking. In the back of his mind, he’d likened it to having some little alien moving around inside of him and he’d always secretly worried about it. But it was nothing like that. It was…it was wonderful.

Another yawn stretched his mouth and had him blinking blurry eyes. He heard more sounds from the rest of the house and he heaved a huge sigh. Might as well get up and see what the hell was going on out there.

On his way to the bathroom he grabbed a pair of his pajama pants. He pulled them on once he finished his business in there. They were some of his most comfortable pants. Who knew these strange looking belly bands on all these pants would actually be comfortable? When he’d bought them, the clerk had assured him that they wouldn’t feel as strange as they looked, and he was right. Spencer loved them. He adjusted the band now and then rubbed a hand on his stomach.

Business done, hands washed and teeth brushed, Spencer didn’t head back to his room. Instead, he cut through the shared part of the bathroom, over to Alex’s portion, and then into his brother’s room. Without hesitation he headed to Alex’s closet. A quick look found him what he wanted. He pulled on the Black Sabbath t-shirt he’d found and then, overtop it, he pulled on one of Alex’s plain black hoodies. The man’s clothes were so much more comfortable than his. Spencer's shirts weren’t quite comfortable around the waist anymore. But maternity shirts for men were just…well, they weren’t that great. All he could really do was buy bigger shirts. Why bother with that when he had Alex’s closet to raid? The man’s clothes were comfortable and baggy enough to work for him. Stuffing his hands down into the front pouch, Spencer made his way out of the room.

When he reached the end of the hall where it opened to the living room and, by extension, over to the kitchen, he saw Scott just starting to sit up on the couch. His oldest brother had arrived yesterday for a four day visit. He’d been thrilled to be here and they were happy to have him. He didn’t look so happy now, though. The man had pulled off his sleep goggles and was rubbing at his closed eyes. “God damn him.” He grumbled. Though his eyes were still closed, he tipped his head in Spencer's direction and grumbled “He still does this?”

Spencer's lips quirked slightly. “Yep.”

“Fucking bastard.”

All three Summers brothers varied on their morning habits. Scott was definitely _not_ a morning person. Oh, his team might think he was, but that was only because they didn’t get to see Scott first thing in the morning like this. Until the man had a good two cups of coffee in his system, he was a complete grouch. It was even worse when he was woken up any time before eight. Jean had learned that early on in their relationship and had made sure to install a coffee maker in their room once they started to share a space. Scott was not a morning person. Alex, on the other hand, was a crack-of-dawn sort of person. He seemed to be one of those individuals that could function off of minimal sleep. Up no later than six a.m., he was usually in bed by close to midnight or one, sometimes later. Spencer wasn’t typically a morning person, but he wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Scott. Years at the Bureau had taught him how to cope with waking up at random times and how to kick start his brain, usually with copious amounts of coffee.

Alex looked over the bar that separated the rooms and he shook his head at them. “You two look like a couple of zombies.”

“You look far too awake.” Spencer shot back.

Turning towards him, Alex’s eyes ran over Spencer, a mock-glare building. “And you raided my closet again.”

One corner of Spencer's mouth quirked up. He made his way into the kitchen and over to the fridge to grab himself some apple juice. “So?”

“What’s the point of those maternity clothes if you’re just gonna steal my shit?” Alex demanded.

Spencer pulled out the apple juice and set it on the counter. Then he turned and got a cup from the cupboard. “Yours are more comfortable.” He told him, smirking as he poured his juice. He put the cap back on the juice when he was done and stuck it back in the fridge. Then he picked his glass up and carried it with him over to the table. “Besides, it’s what you get. You and your clanging out here interrupted an absolutely fantastic dream.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. What, were you hanging out in the world’s largest library?” Alex teased him, turning from the stove to look over his shoulder at Spencer and smirk.

A pout touched Spencer's lips. “No. I was with Peter Wingfield, Heath Ledger, and John Barrowman in this rather enormous bed that had the absolute softest sheets.” His pout melted away and he gave a happy little sigh. It had been a _wonderful_ dream.

“Peter Wingfield—isn’t he the guy that played…”

“Methos, in Highlander, the series.” Spencer finished, smiling. “Mm hm. He has a very nice…smile.”

Scott snorted out a laugh as he joined them in the kitchen. “I’m sure it’s his _smile_ you were admiring, Sherlock.” He said sarcastically. He plopped down into one of the chairs at the table and folded his arms on the table top. Yawning, he dropped his head down to his arms. “I swear there’s something wrong with you, Alex. You do understand the definition of ‘vacation’, don’t you? People generally sleep in when they’re on them.”

The grumbling had Spencer and Alex sharing a grin. Alex brought over a cup of coffee and set it down in front of Scott. This time the two laughed as they watched Scott sit up and grasp at the cup like it was his salvation. This was a Scott that very few got to see. He didn’t relax this way unless he was very comfortable with someone. In moments like this, Scott stopped being Cyclops and he just became Scott Summers, regular guy hanging out with his brothers. Very few had ever seen him this way. Clad in just boxers, his sunglasses on and his expression still sleepy, his hair mussed up from sleep and lines on half his face from where he’d been lying on the couch. If Spencer had had a camera, he would’ve snapped a picture and kept it for blackmail purposes. It would’ve been perfect.

Alex had moved back over to the stove and went back to stirring what smelled like some kind of breakfast stir fry. “Breakfast should be about another five minutes. Pidge, don’t forget your vitamin.”

Well used to this, Spencer rolled his eyes, but he reached for the bottle on the far side of the table. “I’m taking it, I’m taking it.”

“Good. You’d think someone with your memory would better be able to remember to take a simple once-a-day vitamin.”

Spencer dumped the pill into his hand and glowered at it. “It tastes horrible and it’s huge.”

“Yeah, well, it’s full of good shit that you and the tadpole need, so shut up and take it.”

Their playful argument had Scott watching them both with an expression that was both surprised and amused. Looking at Spencer, he gestured back at Alex with his thumb. “Is Mother Summers like this all the time, or is he just doing this special for my visit?”

Snickering, Spencer popped his pill into his mouth and washed it down with apple juice. He grimaced briefly at the flavor and then turned his attention back to Scott and shook his head. “Nope, not special. This is Alex all the time now. It was creepy at first, I admit. I kept trying to get him to go to the doctor. But I’m kind of used to it now. He gets all maternal and domestic with me and then he goes and pounds on the back porch to sort of reassert his masculinity for a while.”

“Huh. Who would’ve thought?”

Alex scowled at them and dropped their plates on the table with a dull thud. “Ha, ha. You two are so fucking funny.”

It felt good to sit there and joke around with his brothers through breakfast. Spencer found himself relaxing and laughing more than he had for quite a while. They didn’t often get a chance anymore for the three of them to just be together away from everyone else. There was always someone else around, always something that required them to be Cyclops, or Havok, or Dr. Reid, or countless other ‘hats’ they had to wear. But here, in this moment, they were simply Scott, Alex and Spencer. They didn’t have to impress anyone or act respectable or be a leader or any of those things. They were just brothers.

Spencer watched as Alex grabbed the salsa and poured it overtop his plate. The breakfast stir fry that Alex had made had sausage, eggs, onions, three kinds of peppers, and mushrooms had been added to the second half once the first bit had been pulled out. Spencer hated mushrooms with a passion, so Alex always cooked things up, pulled out a bit for Spencer, and then would add mushrooms to the rest. Seeing him pouring salsa over it all now had Spencer making a disgusted face. “I swear, the things you eat sometimes are repulsive, Alexander.”

“Dude, it’s totally good with salsa. You should try it.” Alex insisted around a mouthful of food.

Scott shook his head. “I’m with Sherlock on this one. That looks like someone threw up on your plate.”

In response to that, Alex opened his mouth wide and showed off the chewed up food, making Scott gag.

The two were soon arguing and Spencer shook his head at them. He finished up his own plate and then settled back in his chair with one hand holding his juice and the other hand resting on his stomach. Food seemed to have woken up the fetus. He rubbed at his stomach to try and soothe it back down a little. A few more weeks and he wouldn’t be the only one to be able to feel the kicking. Others would be able to feel it as well. He knew Alex would probably be thrilled about that. As tough as the guy tried to be, it was already easy to see that he was going to be the type of Uncle to dote on his niece or nephew. He was in love already and the child was still inside of Spencer. The first time he got to feel the baby kick he was probably going to be ecstatic. It would be nice to be able to share it with someone, too, even if it wasn’t the person Spencer truly wanted to share all this with.

That was all it took to turn his thoughts in the one direction he tried constantly to avoid—Remy. Five weeks had gone by since the man had left the mansion to supposedly search out and find Spencer. Five weeks in which no one had heard from him. Spencer had known it would take Remy a little bit to find him—he’d deliberately laid out false trails all over the place just to ensure that—but he hadn’t thought it would take _five weeks_. His trails hadn’t been that good and Remy was more talented than this. The Cajun should’ve been here by now. There was no reason for it to take Remy this long. Not unless…unless he’d decided not to come. The thought of that was enough to make Spencer's chest ache.

His brothers had both already tried to reassure him that that might not be the case. That maybe Remy had been delayed, or he’d come across someone while traveling and that might be why he was taking so long. But Spencer couldn’t help but be afraid. He knew Remy. He knew the man wouldn’t just stop off randomly in the middle of a hunt he was on. No, if he was this late, he’d either decided not to come, or something was preventing him from coming. Neither option was a good one.

Scott and Alex both noticed the way that Spencer seemed to suddenly drift away from them. They saw the dulled sparks in his electric eyes, the worried crease that settled between his eyebrows, and it didn’t take a profiler to read those signs and figure out what it was he was thinking about. The two exchanged a look and came to a silent, mutual agreement. Giving a brief nod to show he understood, Alex drew in a breath and then pasted a devilish smile on. He reached out and lightly smacked at Spencer's arm. “Hey, pidge, you don’t have to go in to the bookstore till like, one, right?”

It took a second for Spencer to clear his eyes and really register the question. When he did, he nodded. “Right. Why?”

“Cause I wanna go play some COD.” Alex said. He pushed back his chair and rose, gathering up their empty plates. “Been forever since we had a game marathon.” Over his shoulder he smirked back at Scott. “Been a long time since I kicked your ass, big brother.”

“Oh, please. In your dreams.” Scott said dryly. He rose as well, taking their cups and bringing them over to the sink.

Spencer perked up just a little at the suggestion. They’d spent many hours together playing Call of Duty on the X-Box. Right at the moment it seemed like a perfect distraction from everything. “Sounds good to me.” He told them both, pushing up to his feet. His own grin turned a little mischievous. “I always have fun kicking your asses.”

“Oh ho! We got us a shit talker over here.” Alex said, gesturing to Spencer. He shoved lightly at him as he passed. “Bring it on, little bro. I’ll kick your ass any day of the week.”

“You wish. I think you need to see someone about those delusions of grandeur you have, brother mine.”

And so the insults began as the three made their way to the living room for a few hours of video games and shit talking that would work as a perfect distraction to Spencer's melancholy mood.

CXCX

By the time Spencer walked into The Happy Booker that afternoon, he was in a pretty good mood. His worries weren’t completely gone but they were definitely pushed back once more. Coming here helped. Since that first day that he had come into this store, it had turned into a sort of happy little piece of paradise for Spencer. He’d grown to love it more and more over the past few weeks. The store itself was great, the atmosphere wonderful, and Nonna Honey and River were both wonderful. River was smart and funny and extremely opinionated. She was all for equal rights, not just for mutants but for, well, pretty much everyone as best as Spencer could tell. In the last three weeks he’d heard her talk about going to a rally for mutant rights, a lecture on rights of women in the modern workplace, and she’d even talked to him about the fight being fought for the rights for male carriers. He’d already heard her opinion on marriage between males and male carriers and how she felt it was ridiculous and demeaning for a man to be forced to become a wife and mother just because they happened to have the ability to bear a child.

If River was proving to be a good friend, Nonna Honey was proving to be almost like family, which matched up with her name perfectly because Nonna meant Grandmother. That was just what she acted like, too. She treated Spencer just like he was one of her grandkids. It was a novel experience for him; he’d never known any of his grandparents. But this lady just adopted him into her extended family like it was the most natural thing in the world. Spencer figured that if he could’ve picked his own grandmother, he couldn’t have done any better than Nonna Honey. She was a sassy, outspoken woman who didn’t take shit from anyone and who wasn’t afraid to tell it like it was. She could be scolding you one moment like you’re nothing more than a small child—and Spencer had seen one of her actual grandson, a grown man, bow his head down and flush underneath one of her lectures—and the next minute she’d be teasing you and cracking bawdy jokes. Spencer loved her dearly, as did Alex. He usually dropped Spencer off at work and Nonna had quickly invited him in after the second day and she’d gotten to know him as well, eventually declaring him a smart mouthed little shit, but a kind one, and he became one of the privileged few to call her Nonna Honey.

Honey wasn’t at work when Spencer got there, but River was. She greeted him with one of her bright smile. “Hey, Spencer!”

“Hey, River.” He greeted her. Going over to the counter, he pulled his messenger bag off and set it down on the back shelf behind the counter where he usually stored his stuff. “How’s it going?”

She hopped down off the stool she’d been perched on and immediately moved over to the coat rack where her plaid jacket was hanging. “It was a good morning. There’s a group of tourists that came through who’ll probably be back later. On, and that blind date book idea you had is going crazy. I’ve been selling the date books like mad. You’ll need to wrap up a few more and get up set up. They’ve been flying off the shelf.”

A week ago Honey had announced that they needed to do something to up their book sales and entice buyers for the summer season. Spencer had suggested that they do what was called a ‘Blind Date’. You take a book and wrap it in brown paper and tie it off with some old looking string and then you write just a few words on the paper that describe the book. Fantasy, mystery, murder, Victorian, gay, children. Just a few random words and that was it. That was all a person got to use to judge them. Some books they left completely blank for those that were especially daring. That way a book wasn’t being judged by its cover. Any book you bought was taking a chance. You never knew what you’d get.

Spencer felt a little pleased at hearing how well the idea was working out. “Fantastic. I’ll go through and pick out a few books this afternoon and get them wrapped.”

“Perfect. I hate to rush, but I’ve got to get out of here. My Mom’s expecting me in like, ten minutes.” Darting forward, she kissed his cheek and then raced over towards the door, not even taking a moment to tease him about his blush like she’d usually do. “Later, Spencer!”

Quiet settled over the shop once the whirlwind known as River was gone. Spencer stared after her for a moment before shaking his head in amusement.

He took a second to make sure that everything at the front desk was all squared away and tidied up. Then he made his way through the store aisles to pick out a few new Blind Date books. It was easiest for him to pick them out and mark them because he’d read so much and he remembered what he read. He had no problems with that. For a bit he just cruised the aisles and looked at all the different books. He’d familiarized himself with the layout a while ago and he knew where just about everything was. Ten minutes of walking and looking and he had a stack to take with him back to the register. Good thing River had already gone; she was hell on him for carrying what she deemed to be too much. Honey was much more laid back about it all. She’d birthed six children, she knew how pregnancy went. It didn’t stop her from pampering or spoiling him, but it did mean that she understood his limits better than River did. The young girl was convinced that Spencer shouldn’t carry anything more than two books at a time and that he shouldn’t lift to get anything over his head. He shuddered to think of what she was going to be like when he got further along.

With the books stacked on a stool beside him, Spencer settled in at the counter with a bunch of brown paper, string, tape and a pair of scissors. As he started to cut the paper he hummed lightly along with the music playing discreetly on the speakers. Vivaldi, this time.

More often than not this job here didn’t feel like a job at all. Spencer knew he’d been extremely lucky to stumble into this. He had two new friends, a good job that he was enjoying, and it was a job where it was not only easy on his body, but his employer and coworker didn’t care in the least that he was a male carrier or a mutant. They didn’t mind at all. If anything, they celebrated his pregnancy, asking him all the time how he was doing and offering to help out if need be. River made sure the fridge was kept stocked with water for him so that he always had something to drink while here and Honey fed him every chance she got. She was just as bad as Alex in that.

Spencer finished up the first stack of books and turned to set them on the shelf behind him when he heard the jingle of the bell that indicated the shop door was opening. He set the books down and quickly turned around, a smile of greeting on his face even as he picked up the next book. “Welcome to The Happy…” His words trailed off as his voice dried up in his throat. He froze in place and he knew his eyes had gone wide. Equal parts shock, joy and fear slammed into him. His hands clenched down on the single book he held.

A smile stretched across Remy LeBeau’s face. He reached up and pulled his sunglasses off his face, his red and black eyes fixed right on Spencer. Auburn hair windblown, cheeks a little pink—he’d probably been on his bike, Spencer thought to himself—and in his usual trench coat and a t-shirt with a ratty pair of jeans, he was the most beautiful sight that Spencer had ever seen.

“Y’r a hard man to find, Spencer Reid.” Remy’s smooth Cajun drawl filled the bookstore that suddenly felt so much smaller than before. He sauntered forward and Spencer drank in the sight of him. Hope built in his chest, more than he’d ever let himself feel before. He couldn’t look away from those beautiful eyes. Remy stopped right on the other side of the counter and he smiled down at Spencer. “Y’ sure didn’t make it easy on me. Put me t’rough a lot of trouble to find y’.”

Spencer licked lips that had gone dry and he had to clear his throat just to find his voice. “Did you really expect me to make it easy?”

Husky laughter sent chills down Spencer's spine. Remy’s eyes were dancing with mirth and with something else that the genius was terrified to try and read. “ _Dieu, non_. Aint not’ing ever been simple wit’ y’.”

Somehow Spencer found the ability to keep talking. How, he didn’t know. He felt like his heart was about to pound its way out of his chest. “Yet you keep coming back.”

“Should’ve told me somet’ing right dere, eh?” Remy leaned in a little, one hand coming down to rest on the counter. His other hand came up and lightly tucked some of Spencer's hair behind his ear. Then he stroked those knuckles against Spencer's cheek. The shiver that Spencer gave had Remy smiling. “I may be slow sometimes; I get de point eventually, t’ough. Sometimes y’ just gotta beat me over de head wit’ it a time or two. I been told I’m a stubborn, thick-headed lil shit.” He leaned in just a little closer and Spencer swore his breath caught in his throat. He could feel Remy’s breath puffing lightly over his face. Remy’s smile warmed a little more and that something in his eyes grew so strong it was blotting out everything else. There was nothing else Spencer could see. “I got de picture now, Spencer.” Remy murmured. “I know m’ heart an I know who it is I want. I love y’, Spencer Reid-Summers, and I t’ink I always have. I was just scared. But I aint scared no more.”

Those were the words that Spencer had always wanted to hear. Words that gave him everything he’d ever hoped for in life right here on a little silver platter. He swore his heart overflowed with the joy he felt. How he kept it behind his shields, he had no idea. It felt like it should be pouring out of him with every breath he took. Weeks of worry, of wondering and waiting and being afraid, and years of watching from the sidelines thinking he was never going to get this, and here it all was being offered right here to him. Everything he had ever wanted.

Remy’s smile grew a little when Spencer just continued to stare up at him. “Imagine dat. Spencer, speechless. Never figured I’d see de day. Aint y’ got not’ing to say, _mon amour_?”

A thousand different responses drifted across Spencer's mind. Countless words thought of and discarded. Finally, he gave up on trying to find the right words and he simply spoke with his heart. “What took you so long?” Reaching up, he caught Remy by his lapels and yanked him down for a kiss that burned through them both and filled all the places in Spencer that had been cold and dark for far too long.


	9. Chapter 9

The sound of the bell over the door jangling didn’t stir Spencer and Remy from their kiss, but the sound of a now familiar voice did. “This is a bookstore, not a theater.” Honey said dryly behind Remy. “Let’s save the shows for there, eh boys?”

The two jumped apart like they’d been poked and both of them looked quickly over to the door. Spencer's cheeks flushed red when he saw Honey standing there smirking at him. Oh, God, this was going to be interesting. Clearing his throat, Spencer found his voice and said “Ah, Nonna, I’m sorry about that. I’d, um, I’d like you to meet Remy. Remy, this is Honey, the woman who owns this store.”

Remy gathered his composure much quicker than Spencer did. He put one arm in front of himself and gave a small bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet y’.” He said politely.

The look that Honey gave him wasn’t polite. It was open and assessing. A nervous feeling built in Spencer's stomach. Honey wasn’t exactly known for tact or subtlety. It was something he enjoyed about her, really, but not right at the moment. Right now it had him worried, and for good reason. She looked right at Remy’s face and suddenly said the very last thing that Spencer could’ve wanted her to say. “So, you the other father?”

Spencer's eyes went wide and he swore he felt the color drain out of his face even as it felt like the bottom dropped out of his stomach. “ _Nonna_.” He whispered hoarsely.

Without looking away from Honey, Remy reached a hand back and patted Spencer's arm lightly, the gesture meant to be reassuring. At the same time, he answered “ _Oui_.”

Neither one paid any attention to Spencer, whose shocked gaze had turned to Remy with that single word. Remy had said it so calmly, so surely, like he knew. But how the hell could he know?

Making a small ‘hmph’ sound, Honey looked Remy over from head to toe. Her sharp eyes settled on his face once more. “You plan on sticking around?”

“ _Oui_.” Remy said again.

She stared at him a second later and then nodded. “Good.” Lifting one hand, she pointed a single finger at him and glared. “You walk out on him or hurt him again, you just keep in mind I’ve got a .45 in my truck and a shotgun in the back and I know how to use em both.”

Remy nodded solemnly at her. “ _Oui, madame_.”

She nodded sharply at him. Then her eyes lifted and found Spencer. The finger she’d been pointing at Remy dropped down and she fisted her hands on her hips. “Look at you. You’ve got almost no color. Stay right there and don’t you get up, sweetheart. You, young man,” Her gaze snapped back to Remy. “There’s a coffee shop just outside. Go and get him a cup of tea. Dash of honey, ton of sugar, and brewed strong. And be quick about it!”

If Remy felt odd being ordered around by this woman he didn’t know, he didn’t show it. He turned toward Spencer and caught his chin, holding him in place so he could steal one more kiss. “It’s gonna be fine.” He murmured against Spencer's lips. Then he kissed him one last time and hurried out of the store. That left Spencer to deal with Honey.

The woman stood there with her hands still on her hips and she stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head. “You hadn’t told him.” She said the words as a statement, not a question.

One hand still braced on the counter, Spencer shook his head, not quite sure he could form the words yet.

Honey sighed and dropped her serious pose. She strode around the counter and right over to him. “It’s gonna be okay, sweetheart. Everything will be all right.” Putting one hand on his back, she rubbed soothingly. “Just calm down. It’s all gonna be fine. Don’t get yourself anymore worked up; that baby in there don’t need it. Just take a few deep breaths for me and relax now. That’s it.

By the time that Remy came back with the cup of tea, Spencer had finally calmed himself down and had regained a bit of color. Apparently it wasn’t enough for Honey, though. She took the tea from Remy and handed it over to Spencer with the order of “Here, little sips now, get yourself settled again” and then she turned to Remy. “You got a car out there?”

“ _Non._ Jus’ de bike.” Remy answered.

She snorted at that and shook her head. Her voice gentled when she turned back to Spencer. “Sweetheart, did you drive in, or did that brother of yours drive you?”

“I drove in.” Spencer told her. “But…”

She cut him off with a firm “Good. Your keys in your coat?”

“Yes, but…”

Once again she cut him off. “No buts, Spencer. You’re in no condition to work today and I don’t have anything planned for the afternoon. Go, let your man get you out of here. You need to go and rest. Too much stress isn’t good for the baby and all you’ll do is sit here and stress if you stay at work today.” With brisk efficiency she gathered up Spencer's stuff. As she bundled Spencer into his coat, she looked back over at Remy again, who was watching this all as if not quite sure what to do. “Go and pull your bike through the alley around to the back where the employee parking is. It’ll be safe back there, I promise. Spencer shouldn’t be driving himself home.”

“You know, I am right here.” Spencer spoke up suddenly. There was a dry, slightly irritated tone to his voice. “Last I checked, I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself and making my own decisions.”

His temper didn’t bother either person in the least. Honey smiled at him and patted his shoulder like he was some fractious child and told him “Of course you are, dear. Now why don’t you go ahead and head out back to the car while your young man pulls his bike around, hm?” She started to steer him towards the back of the store where he could go through the back room and then out from there to the employee parking out back. She stopped by the back door and flustered him by kissing his cheek. Then she practically pushed him through the door with a call of “I’ll see you tomorrow. You take care of yourself, sweetheart, and that little one, too.”

Spencer stood in the backroom and watched the door shut. He huffed out a breath and shook his head. _Crazy, interfering busybody_ he thought to himself. There was a hint of fondness to the words, though. Leave it to Honey to completely take over like that and somehow manage to get everyone to go along with it. Remy hadn’t even protested her orders. He’d just gone along with it like a good little boy. That was something Spencer would have to tease him about later. He’d never seen the man so obedient. Scott would kill to have that kind of effect on Remy.

And just like that, Spencer's thoughts were back on Remy and on what was going to be waiting for him out there. Remy was here. Remy had found him! And the biggest one of all— _Remy knew_. How the hell did he know? How had he found out? Had someone told him? Spencer swore he’d beat the hell out of either of his brothers if one of them had told the Cajun.

Well he wasn’t going to find anything out just standing here. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Spencer made his way outside.

He found Remy already waiting back in the parking lot for him. The man was leaning against his bike which he had parked beside Spencer's car. When Spencer got close, Remy pushed up off the bike and stood there waiting for him. Spencer found himself stopping in front of the man. For a moment he just looked at him and let himself drink him in. It had been a while now since he’d seen his best friend. A while since he’d had the ability to simply look at him. Even with everything else going on, seeing Remy was still enough to make Spencer smile happily. He didn’t think about how much was showing on his face until Remy’s lips curved up in an answering smile. “I don’t know how de hell I didn’t see if b’fore. Aint no one ever looked at me like y’ do.”

Denial sprang instantly to Spencer's lips. He swallowed back the automatic words; he didn’t have to say them anymore. He didn’t have to hide. He let himself say the words he _really_ wanted to say. “You were too busy looking elsewhere.”

Remy didn’t deny it. “I’m looking now.” His head tipped just enough that Spencer knew the man really was looking him over now. He swore he felt it when Remy’s eyes landed on the small swell mostly hidden by his jacket. Immediately he put a protective hand on his stomach. The gesture was one he didn’t even think about. Remy saw it and his head lifted so that he was looking up at Spencer's face again. He lifted a hand and ran his knuckles over Spencer's cheek just like he had earlier. There was such love and tenderness in that gesture. “It’s gonna be okay, cher.” He murmured. “I love y’, Spencer, I meant dat, and I aint planning on going nowhere. I aint gonna lie, though. Y’ keeping dis from me? We’re fighting about dat later.”

The words didn’t surprise him. Spencer nodded his head. “I understand.”

“Come on, let’s get y’ home.”

He had no real problems handing over his keys. Remy had driven him around plenty of times before. Not many people knew that Spencer really wasn’t that fond of driving. He could do it; had been able to since he was around ten. He just didn’t _like_ to. He’d much rather be a passenger.

Once they were in the car and Remy had pulled them out to the main road, Spencer didn’t direct him back to the house. Instead he directed him out of town to a spot where he knew there was a wide enough shoulder, with parking leading to a trail, that they would be able to park and talk with some privacy. It would most likely be deserted right now. That was what they needed. If they were going to argue—and he knew Remy well enough to know that an argument was inevitable—then he wanted to do it away from his brothers. He had to explain that to Remy when he directed the man to pull off onto the shoulder and he got a strange look. “We need to talk, Remy, and both my brothers are at the house right now. If we go there, we’re going to have to deal with them and any real talking isn’t going to happen. Trust me, this is our best bet.”

Spencer waited until Remy had brought the car fully to a stop and had turned it off before he unhooked his seatbelt. The two sat there in quiet for a few, long minutes. When Spencer finally spoke, only one thing came out. “So, you knew.”

He was looking down at his lap, so he didn’t see the look on Remy’s face. All he had to go by was the tone to his voice. Remy sounded surprisingly calm when he answered. “Didn’t take dat long to figure out. Not once I stopped and thought about it all.”

“Is that why you came?” Spencer asked quietly. “Because of the baby?” He closed his eyes, dreading the answer yet needing desperately to know.

His heart cracked slightly when he heard Remy’s answer. “Partly.”

Pain arrowed through Spencer. He curled his arms protectively around himself, cradling his stomach, yet it wasn’t the baby he sought to protect. It was himself. His heart ached with that one word; what he saw as a confirmation of his worst fears. “Then you shouldn’t have bothered to come.” He croaked out.

Beside him, he felt Remy’s shock, bright and strong. “What?”

“I don’t want you here just because of the baby. I’ll be back in New York once the child is born and we can work out a visitation schedule then. But I don’t want you here with me simply because there’s going to be a child.”

He still wasn’t looking up. But he was having a harder and harder time shutting out Remy’s emotions. There was a hint of anger mixing in with the shock now. He heard Remy shift in his seat, presumably turning towards him. “I came fo’ y’ too, y’ idiot!” Remy exclaimed.

“Did you really?” For the first time, Spencer lifted his head and opened his eyes, looking right over at Remy. He took in the worry and anger both that were in Remy’s eyes and he shivered a little but he held firm. “So you’re saying you would’ve come here if you hadn’t figured out about the child?”

“Dammit, Spencer! I was already on m’ way here when I figured it all out!”

Wait a second…what? “Really?”

There was hurt that flashed over Remy’s face now. “Do y’ really got dat little faith in me? Did y’ really doubt me dat much?”

That hadn’t been what he’d meant. That hadn’t been what he meant at all! It wasn’t really that he doubted Remy. Was it? Spencer bit his lip and dipped his head just the slightest bit. “I didn’t doubt you, per se. I just figured that if you knew about the child, it would cloud your judgment. I wanted you to make the choice to come because you wanted me and me alone. Is that so wrong?”

Remy let out a furious sound halfway between a growl and a curse and Spencer watched as the man turned and flung open his car door. He shot out of his seat. The sound of his door being slammed shut echoed like a crack in the air and had Spencer flinching. He watched Remy pace away from the car with fury in every line of his body. The temper didn’t scare Spencer; he’d seen Remy angry countless times. He’d never turn it against Spencer. No, what got to Spencer was that he knew this temper wasn’t _just_ anger. It was fueled by hurt. Remy didn’t deal with hurt well, so he often covered it in either anger or humor.

Had he been looking at this whole thing wrong? Spencer rubbed a hand over his stomach, feeling the little kicks in there, and tried to force himself to stop reacting emotionally and just think about things. When he did, he felt a little sick. Was Remy right? Did he really have that little faith in him? He bit his bottom lip. This wasn’t going anything like he’d planned.

Carefully, Spencer opened up his car door and climbed out of the car. One of his hands stayed resting protectively on his stomach while the other braced against the car door once he shut it behind him. His eyes were locked ahead of him on Remy, who was still pacing. The man was building up a good head of steam. Pretty soon, he wasn’t going to be able to hold it in. The words would come pouring out of him. As if to prove just how well Spencer knew his best friend, Remy spun around and glared at him, his temper boiling over. “Y’ know, y’ drive me crazy sometimes, de way y’ always doubt dat anyone can love y’.” Remy snapped furiously at him. “It’s like y’ got no faith whatsoever dat someone could actually love y’ for y’. Even when we say it, y’ don’t believe it, not really. Dat’s why y’ make everyone jump t’rough dese fucking hoops.”

“I don’t—”

A slice of Remy’s hand through the air cut off Spencer's words. He stalked forward, his eyes never leaving Spencer. “Well I jumped t’rough every fucking hoop y’ put out dere, Spencer! I hunted y’r ass all de fucking way here, even wit’ dem false trails y’ laid, and it wasn’t easy, neither! I got held up in Texas, ran into fucking Tooth in Cali. But I kept coming here, fo’ _y’_. I busted m’ ass to get here, fo’ _y’_. If dat aint enough proof fo’ y’, den I don’t know what is. What de hell else am I supposed to do, huh? Take out an ad in de paper? Put it up in lights? Do some stupid movie shit and stand up in a crowd and scream it out? What de fuck do y’ want me to do, Spencer?”

Spencer opened his mouth to try and say something. Only, no words would come. He snapped his mouth closed and, to his horror, he found tears filling his eyes. There were only two words that he could think of to say. “I’m sorry.” He hadn’t meant to do that. He hadn’t meant to make Remy feel that way. Was that really what he was like to others? Did he really make people feel like they had to jump through hoops over and over just to prove things to him?

The sight of his tears was Remy’s undoing. He didn’t run away from tears like Alex did; he melted. When it was someone he cared about, he never could stand to see them cry. Spencer knew that and he tried to fight the tears back. He didn’t want Remy to think he was trying to manipulate the conversation. But there was no stopping them and it was already too late, anyways. Remy had already seen them. Everything about him softened. “Ah, hell, Spencer.” Remy lifted one hand and ran it through his hair, pushing it back out of his face. Then he gave a deep sigh and started forward. Spencer tried to step back, to wave him off, but Remy ignored it completely and he caught Spencer up in his arms, gathering him close against his chest. Spencer fought it only for a second. Then, his shoulders slumped and he leaned in close, pressing his forehead against the side of Remy’s neck. He curled his hands into the front of Remy’s shirt and held on as the older man kept him close and ran a hand soothingly up and down his back. “It’s all right, Spencer. It’s gonna be all right.”

“I don’t mean to make you feel that way.” Spencer said softly.

“Shh.” Remy gave him a soft squeeze. He tipped his head enough to rest his cheek against Spencer's hair. “I know y’ don’t. I know dat.”

“I do believe you, Remy. I do. My head knows it. It’s just…”

Remy cut him off with a gentle, “Spencer.” Bringing one hand in, he caught Spencer's chin and tipped his face up, forcing him to look up. “I understand. I shouldn’t have thrown dat at y’. Life aint exactly been kind to either one of us wit’ dat. We’ve both had too many people just up and leave us and it’s made us not all dat trusting when it comes to others. I know dat. I’m sorry fo’ shouting at y’ like dat.”

“I deserved it.” Spencer murmured.

The hand on his chin moved and Remy’s thumb brushed over his cheek to wipe away the tear that had escaped. “ _Non_ , y’ didn’t. We’re both just scared as hell right now and we’re taking it out on each other. How about we start dis over, hm?” He smiled and cupped his hand over Spencer's cheek. Then he bent down and gave him a soft, sweet kiss. “I love y’, Spencer, and I aint here just because of de child. I’m here fo’ y’, too. I didn’t figure out about de child till a week ago. I’m here cause I want y’. Do y’ still want me?”

That didn’t take any thought. “Yes.”

“Dat’s all I need to know.” Once more Remy bent his head and this time his kiss carried all the love in the world in it. Spencer tipped his head up a little more and finally let go of the shields he’d been clutching tightly around himself. He let Remy’s emotions in, let the man’s colors explode into his mind, and he sighed happily.

CXCX

It took another half hour of talking before the two men started to make their way home. Spencer caught Remy up on everything first, telling him how the pregnancy was progressing, how his appointments had gone so far. He’d smiled when Remy had laughed at Spencer not being able to have the ultrasound. He wasn’t the least bit bothered by not knowing the gender. He’d just grinned and said “It’ll be a nice surprise, _non_?”

By the time they reached the house, Spencer felt like he was on cloud nine. Everything that he’d wanted seemed to have come true. He was practically floating when he brought Remy into the house. Their fingers were loosely linked together, just as they had been for the entire drive home. They couldn’t seem to get enough of touching one another. Together, they walked through the little house, Remy looking around and taking in every detail. “Y’all aint got a whole lot of stuff.” He commented.

Spencer chuckled. “We’ve been picking it up piece by piece.”

A loud bang from the back of the house cut off any further conversation. It also told Spencer where his brothers were and what they were doing. He looked up at Remy. “You ready for this?”

“Lead de way, cher.”

They found both Scott and Alex out on the back porch. Just as Spencer knew they would be, the two were back there building, slowly putting the porch together. Or, Alex was doing it, and he was forcing Scott to help. Scott didn’t share the joy in building things like Alex and Spencer did. But he could be conned into working with the right incentive. At the moment, he was helping hold a board in place for Alex. This was the last part of the frame for the floor, which they’d extended down along the whole backside of the house. Scott was holding the board in place and Alex was trying to nail it in, only it looked like Scott kept moving it. Whether accidental or on purpose was hard to tell. But it was pissing Alex off. “Dammit, Scott! Hold the fucking thing still!” Alex snapped.

“Bite me.” Scott snapped back. “Just nail the fucking thing in already and quit your bitching.”

The surprised sound from Remy had Spencer turning and smiling at him. “Meet Scott Summers.” He said jokingly, his voice pitched low so only Remy could hear. “Be prepared. He stops being Cyclops here and just becomes our annoying big brother. He’s not quite what you’re used to.”

Humor danced over Remy’s face. “Remy can see dat.”

About that time was when Scott and Alex finally noticed their arrival. Spencer saw them look up, saw the quick looks of surprise that passed over their faces, and he braced himself for whatever was about to come. Beside him, he felt Remy brace as well.

What came next wasn’t what they’d expected, though. “It’s about damn time.” Alex said. He shook his head and then gestured with one hand. “Get back here. I need someone who actually knows what he’s doing.”

When Remy didn’t move, Spencer looked over at him. He smiled when he realized what the man’s problem was. “He means you, not me.” He told Remy, letting go of his hand and nudging him.

“Oh!” Remy grinned sheepishly. He hopped off the edge of the porch and pulled his coat off, laying it down over a piece of the framing. Then he pushed his sleeves up and made his way over to where Scott was at. He caught the board and helped to hold it steady. Then he flashed a grin at Scott. “ _Bonjour_ , Scotty.”

The grin that Scott gave him in return was warm and welcoming. “Took you long enough.”

“Y’r _frère_ didn’t exactly make it easy.” Remy said dryly.

That earned him a snort from Alex. “Good things in life don’t come easy. You gotta work for em.”

“ _Oui_.” Lifting his head, Remy met Spencer's eyes and he winked at him.

Spencer smiled and shook his head. He should’ve known. Leave it to his brothers to just draw Remy in just like that. Like there was nothing strange here. He looked at three of the most important men in his life and he felt his insides warm a little. Things were finally starting to look up.


	10. Chapter 10

Spencer left the three men outside building on the back porch while he took himself back inside. The first thing he did was go change out of his day clothes and into some lounge clothes. The next thing he did was go to the kitchen and gather up something to drink. Working on the porch would only distract the others for so long. Better to just get together some drinks and go out there and get this talk down now instead of waiting for them to start quizzing Remy while Spencer wasn’t there. They wouldn’t hold back for long. He was actually surprised they’d held off as long as they had.

With a few beers in one hand and a glass of iced tea in the other, Spencer made his way back out onto the back porch. He found the three men still working together a little further down than they’d been before. At the sound of his footsteps they all glanced up at him. Spencer held the bottles aloft and smiled. “I come bearing drinks.”

“You’re a Godsend.” Scott swore vehemently. He didn’t hesitate to set down the board he was holding and move over to the sturdy part of the porch. Spencer met him there and passed him the bottles. Scott took them all, handing one back to Alex first and then offering one to Remy.

Remy took the offered bottle and set it down on the porch. Then he smiled up at Spencer and held a hand out to him. “Need a hand down, cher?”

They were right by the edge of the porch and there was a cinder block there that Alex had set out as a sort of step. Smiling, Spencer took Remy’s hand and used it gladly, bracing on it as he stepped carefully down onto the block below and then to the ground. Once on the ground he looked up and his smile was just the slightest bit shy as he met Remy’s eyes. “Thanks.”

“Of course.” Remy murmured.

Off to the side came the sound of someone clearing their throat. “Just because he’s pregnant doesn’t mean he’s a girl.” Alex said suddenly.

Remy looked over at him with surprise. “I know dat.”

Patting Remy’s arm, Spencer shook his head. “Ignore him, Rem. He’s just being ornery.” As he moved to sit on the edge of the porch—much easier to do from this angle than from standing up there—he gave Alex a bland look. “Quit trying to start a fight. Remy wasn’t doing anything demeaning, or even anything that was outside of the norm for him. As strange as the concept might be to you, he was showing what the rest of us commonly refer to as _manners_. You might’ve heard mention of those once or twice? They’re those strange things humans indulge in when they want to be nice. Now, I know that that’s another concept you might be unfamiliar with, but I’m sure you can come to some sort of understanding without too much strain.”

The dry, sarcastic words had Remy smothering a snicker and Scott outright laughing. Alex flipped them all off as he settled down onto the grass. “Bite me, blowhards.”

Scott dropped down next to him and gave him a small shove. “Gross. Who knows where you’ve been?”

“So you’re saying you’d bite me if I were clean?” Alex asked curiously.

Laughter bubbled up in Spencer. “Aren’t you usually the biter, Alex?” He turned his head to smile at Remy, who was sitting down next to him on the edge of the porch. Neither one commented on the fact that they hadn’t let go of one another’s hands yet. They just let their hands rest between them, each one enjoying the contact. “When we were little, you always had to be careful with Alex. If he felt like he was losing it wasn’t uncommon for him to bite to gain the advantage. I actually still have a scar on my right calf from where he bit me.”

“A scar?” Remy asked with surprise at the same time that Alex called out “That wasn’t my fault!”

“How was it not your fault?” Spencer asked.

“You jerked too hard and practically shoved your leg into my mouth.”

Scott chuckled, shaking his head. “You two were a menace.” He turned his head towards Remy and gestured at Alex and Spencer with his beer bottle. “They were rolling on the floor when I came in. Alex had bit down on Spencer's leg and Spencer had actually managed to pull out a huge chunk of Alex’s hair in his efforts to detach him. They were, God—I was fourteen, so that would’ve made Spencer six, I think, and Alex was eight.”

The look Remy gave Spencer was both amused and fond. “M’ little spitfire.”

The moment was broken, unsurprisingly, by Alex. With his usual tact and diplomacy, the man leaned back and rested his weight on one arm, his other holding his better bottle in his lap, and he looked at the couple sitting on the porch and demanded “So, are we gonna sit here and exchange stories, or are you gonna tells us when you got in or what the hell took you so long?”

“Guess de warm welcome is over, yeah?” Remy said dryly. He gave Spencer's hand a squeeze when he felt the man shift, a silent request to let him handle this, and Spencer shrugged one shoulder before settling in. He set his glass down beside him and his hand unerringly found its way to his stomach while he watched and waited for whatever was about to come. Remy apparently decided that he was going to be just as straightforward as Alex was being. He looked right at the man as he answered him. “To answer y’r questions, I just got in a few hours ago, an it took me a while to get here cause y’r _frère_ is a sneaky little shit and laid some damn good trails and because I got held up by a few people here and dere along de way.”

“Yeah, and what’re your plans now that you’re here?” Alex asked.

“I hardly think that’s your business.” Spencer said calmly. He rubbed a hand over his stomach and fixed his brother with a serious look. “Lose the overprotective act, Xander. We’ve worked things out between us and that should be good enough for you.”

Remy gave Spencer's hand another squeeze and he turned to smile at him. “It’s okay, cher. I don’t mind answering him.”

“Yes, well, I mind. There are only two people in our relationship and Alex isn’t one of them.”

For the first time since this interrogation had started, Scott spoke up, and he spoke up to agree with Spencer. “He’s right, Alex. You need to back off.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Would you want us interfering with you and a girlfriend? Especially over something important? This is his business.” Scott turned back towards Spencer and Remy. “I already said my piece to the both of you before this. I don’t need to threaten anymore. If you two are happy, that’s what matters to me.”

“Oh, well, let’s all just bow down. Our Eldest has spoken.” Alex said sarcastically.

Spencer and Remy were both grinning when Scott leaned over and smacked the back of Alex’s head. They watched as Alex turned to glare at his older brother. “Don’t fucking hit me.”

“What, like this?” Quick as a flash, Scott smacked him again.

Alex let out a low growl. “I swear to God, Scott, if you don’t stop smacking me, I’m going to high five your face.”

Remy let out a snort of laughter at that just as he was taking a drink and immediately started to cough. Laughing, Spencer reached over and patted his back a few times before offering him some of his iced tea. “Here, Rem, take a little sip, it’ll help.”

His choking fit didn’t even seem to faze the two down on the grass. They were too busy glaring at one another. “Kiss my ass, Alex.”

“Psh. Kiss my big toe.” Alex shot back.

His reply earned him strange looks from everyone. Remy looked over top his glass, still breathing a little raspy from his coughing. “Kiss y’r big toe?” He repeated the words slowly like it would somehow make them make more sense.

Alex grinned and nodded. “Yeah. I’m picky about who kisses my ass. Trust me, my brother doesn’t make that cut. The motto in this house is _not_ ‘Incest is the best’.”

“Good God, no.” Scott looked like he was going to be sick at even the suggestion of it.

“You know, incest between consenting adults hasn’t been widely reported in the past, but recent evidence indicates that this behavior does take place, possibly more often than many people realize.” Spencer said. “There are internet chat rooms and websites that exist solely to provide support for incestuous couples.”

Now Alex looked just as disgusted as Scott did. The momentary bickering between those two was forgotten as they both turned to stare at Spencer. Alex shook his head at him. “Okay, that’s gross, but thanks for that, factzilla. That just gave me mental images that I never wanted. I may need to go bleach my brain now.”

“There’s bleach under the sink.” Spencer offered helpfully.

“I’m feeling the love.” Alex said, rolling his eyes. “Fuck face.”

Scott snickered and arched an eyebrow over the top of his sunglasses. “Now who’s the one making incestuous remarks?”

It took a second for that to register in Alex’s brain. Everyone started to laugh when they saw it click and Alex’s whole face transformed with disgust. “Oh, ew! Ew! You guys are a bunch of sick fucks, you hear me? Sick fucking fucks, that’s what you are. Gross!”

For a few moments everyone was laughing and everything was good. Spencer was enjoying just being here with everyone happy around him. But it didn’t last for long. He’d thought maybe the tough questions were done with now; that Alex might’ve got the hint to just back off and leave this alone .He should’ve known better. He really should’ve. The laughter slowly died down around them and everyone was just sitting there peacefully when Alex decided to ask his next question. “So, where are you staying while you’re here?” He asked them calmly. A solid kick from Scott had him grunting and looking over at his brother with a scowl. “What? It’s just a question!”

Scott shook his head. “I swear to God, Spencer has more tact than you, Alexander.”

“Ouch. Little harsh, man.”

“If the shoe fits.”

The two fell easily into their bickering once more and Spencer looked over at Remy and rolled his eyes with amusement. Remy smiled back at him. Ignoring his brothers, Spencer lifted a hand and gestured towards the house, arching an eyebrow in silent question, and Remy nodded at him. Getting out of here sounded like a hell of an idea. Spencer glanced once more at his brothers and saw that they were in full-fledged fight mode. Any moment now and they’d start getting physical. It was the perfect time to slip away. They probably wouldn’t notice until it was too late. Spencer put both his hands in Remy’s and gladly accepted the help to leverage himself up to his feet. Remy easily pulled him upright. Once on their feet, the two headed towards the house.

Alex cut off in what he was saying and was about to call out to them when Scott gave him another kick. Alex quickly turned back to him with another glare. “What the hell, Scott? Quit fucking kicking me!”

“Then quit being an idiot!” Scott hissed back. He glanced to where Spencer and Remy had vanished and then back over at Alex. “I know you want to protect him and all that, but this part of things we’ve got to stay out of. This is between them, not us. We’ve got to let them figure it out on their own.”

Grimacing, Alex slumped back in his seat. “I don’t like it.”

An identical grimace cross Scott’s features. “Me either. But he’s an adult now. One that’s about to become a father. We’ve got to let him grow up sometime.”

“Fuck.” Alex blew out a breath. “I need another beer.”

Now that was a sentiment that Scott could get behind. “I second that. But not here.”

“There’s a bar about ten minutes away.” Alex said.

“First round’s on you.”

“You’re on.”

CXCX

Any of the ease that Spencer had felt before seemed to have vanished once more. He found himself beyond nervous as he led Remy into his bedroom. All the worries and fears that had been plaguing him for so long seemed to come right back to the forefront now that they were in here together, alone. Thousands of questions were dancing through Spencer's mind. What was going to happen now? What were they going to do? Would Remy stay here with him and Alex, and, if so, would he want to stay back here? Did Spencer _want_ him to stay back here? Spencer didn’t exactly have a ton of experience in relationships to help him navigate this situation. Not that there was really anything that could’ve prepared him for the uniqueness of their situation.

Spencer was jerked out of his thoughts abruptly when a warm pair of lips pressed against his. He startled for one split second and then he melted down into it. When Remy pulled back, Spencer was dazed and the Cajun was smiling. “Y’ looked like y’ was working y’rself into one hell of a panic dere.”

“Just…wondering.” Spencer tucked a bit of hair behind his ear and looked up. “I don’t really know what to do here. I don’t have any frame of reference to base things off of.”

“We do what feels right fo’ us, Spencer. I told y’ b’fore dat I love y’ and dat I’m here to stay. I meant it. But it don’t mean dat I’m gonna force m’self on y’. If y’d be more comfortable, I aint got no problem getting m’self a hotel room and staying dere until y’r ready, or even sleeping out dere on de couch.”

The thought of that had Spencer's stomach clenching in a way that told him quite a bit about what he wanted. He shook his head. “No. I—I want you here.”

“Den I’ll be here.” With such gentleness it brought a prickle of moisture to Spencer's eyes, Remy reached up and cupped Spencer's face between his hands. There was so much love in his eyes and in his emotions. More than Spencer had ever felt from him before. It humbled him and warmed him inside and out. Remy smiled at him and stroked his thumbs over Spencer's cheekbones. “I aint going into dis blind, cher. We’ve been best friends fo’ years now. We know each other better dan anyone else. Dis, it aint changing dat, it’s just adding more to it. I know what I’m getting into wit’ y and I’m ready fo’ whatever y’ offer me. I want dis, Spencer. I want y’. An I’m willing to take it at whatever pace y’ want.”

How was it that Remy knew just what to say to make him feel better? Spencer tipped his head up just enough that their lips brushed lightly together, a testing sort of kiss, and Remy responded to it immediately, pressing in to take more, effectively chasing away the last of Spencer's fears and doubts. How could he worry? How could he be afraid? Remy was here, just as he’d always hoped, and everything that he’d ever wanted was right here in his grasp. Spencer brought his hands up to rest on Remy’s hips and he leaned in close when their kiss broke. Remy wrapped his arms around him in response and he just held him there.

For a few long moments the two just stood there together without saying a word. Both had their shields open to each other and they let their emotions speak clearer than any words they could’ve said. That sharing of emotions settled them both down and it was almost like there was this little click inside, this feeling like puzzle pieces clicking together to form something whole, seamless. Spencer sighed happily and laid his head against Remy’s shoulder. The stress of recent days had taken their toll and his body was relaxing now that the stress was gone. He found himself wanting to sleep. Without thinking too much about it, he quietly asked “Will you lay with me for a bit?”

“ _Mais oui_.” Remy murmured.

This was familiar territory. It was something they’d done countless times before. Spencer had never questioned it or stopped to think that cuddling wasn’t something that friends usually did. Especially male friends. He and Remy had laid together so many times when one or the other was upset or sick or had had a nightmare. The ease with which they laid in that bed together helped to settle down some of Spencer's nerves. The familiarity of it all worked to relax muscles that had gone tense with worry. The two men ended up on their sides, with Remy spooned up against Spencer's back, one arm wrapped around him just like they’d done so many times before. The only difference now was that Remy’s hand didn’t rest against a slender stomach as it usually did. It laid over top the swell there, cupping over it and the life inside of it. Spencer felt as Remy pressed a soft kiss against the back of his shoulder. “ _Je t’aime,_ Spencer.”

“ _Je t’aime aussi_ , Remy.” Spencer murmured back.

With Remy pressed up against his back, that one hand curled protectively over his stomach, Spencer drifted off to sleep, a happy little smile on his lips.


	11. Chapter 11

Remy’s arrival didn’t mean that suddenly everything in Spencer's life was perfect. It didn’t even mean that suddenly things between them were perfect. There were still so many things that the two of them had to work out and years of mixed feelings and longings that sat between them. Falling back into their friendship was easy; figuring out a relationship, that was hard. They had no issues with touch—holding hands, or cuddling, or even kissing. Most of that was just normal things that they’d already done as friends. Even the occasional kiss hadn’t been that strange between them. Spencer had always known Remy was affectionate and he’d just accepted the touches and such as a part of being friends with him. Later, as his friendly feelings had grown into love, he’d cherished each of those moments. And he cherished them now, too. He loved each touch of their hands, each kiss, and nothing felt better to him than falling asleep in Remy’s arms and waking up to find him there the next morning.

It wasn’t that part of things that was hard—it was the emotional. The mental. Spencer wanted more than anything else to truly believe that Remy was here, and here to stay, yet he couldn’t help that small little voice in the back of his head that always nagged him any time he got close to anyone. The voice that told him that everyone leaves eventually. Even though he knew that was a voice born of his own personal insecurities and his brain told him that Remy would never leave him, not by choice, he still couldn’t banish that voice completely. He knew the problem here was with him, not with Remy, and so he tried not to let it show.

He didn’t realize that Remy noticed it all. Every time Spencer pulled back, each time he would watch Remy with this sad look in his electric eyes, each time he held on just a little too tight as if afraid to let go, Remy noticed them all. He knew Spencer was afraid. He knew the man worried that he would leave. He just had no idea how to reassure him.

After being there for two weeks, it was starting to wear on him, this constant wondering. Alex noticed it and waited until Spencer had gone to work for the afternoon to finally corner Remy. He came outside and found the Cajun working on the patio, cutting down pieces of wood they’d need to start working on the roof. It was late in the afternoon, so Alex had no issue grabbing a six pack of beer from the fridge and bringing it outside. He came out and sat down on the bottom step of the staircase they’d just finished building yesterday that led from the patio down to the yard. As he dropped down, he admired the sturdiness of the stairs. They’d done a damn good job on these. Stress and bullshit aside, he had to admit that whatever angst was fueling Remy, it was sure causing him to put out some good work. He and Alex had worked out here quite a bit since Remy had come to stay. It kept him busy while Spencer was at work. While Spencer was home, the two were practically glued together. With Scott having gone back home, it was nice for Alex to have someone to talk to while his little brother was out of the house.

But if he wanted things to be somewhat peaceful, he needed to get to the bottom of whatever the hell was bugging his little brother and his soon-to-be little brother-in-law. With that in mind, he set the six pack down next to him and pulled one of the bottle out. Then he called out “Hey, Rem!” He waited until Remy looked up and he tossed the bottle over towards him. Remy didn’t miss a beat. He caught the bottle one handed without even a flinch, making Alex grin. “Nice reflexes.”

“ _Merci_.” Remy turned more towards him and arched one eyebrow over the top of his ever present sunglasses. “What’s up, Alex?”

Alex pulled out a bottle for himself and gave Remy his most charming smile. “Can’t a guy just come out and chat with a friend?”

“A guy, _oui_. You? _Non_. What do y’ want?”

Humor danced in Alex’s eyes. He took a long pull off his beer and settled in a little more comfortably in his seat. Then he just dove right in. “What’s got your panties all in a twist lately? Not that I don’t appreciate all the work it’s making you do. Trust me, that’s great. But something’s bugging the shit outta you. What is it?”

His questions obviously threw Remy off guard. The Cajun actually froze with his bottle halfway to his mouth for a few seconds. Then he kept going, radiating a casualness that was definitely forced as he took his drink. When he lowered the bottle, his expression was cool and collected. “Since when did y’ get all about feeling y’r feelings?”

“Dude, I grew up with an empath as a little brother. I may not be all touchy feely but I know emotions more than the average guy. Chicks dig it, actually. I get told I’m _sensitive_.” He flashed a grin here, man to man, and got a small twitch of the lips from Remy in return. Perfect. He’d said that comment solely to break the tension and get a smile. “Now, seriously, what’s going on between the two of you?”

Remy blew out a breath and looked down at the wood in front of him. “ _Merde_.” He breathed out. His lips curved into a wry grin as he lifted his face toward Alex. “Y’ really wanna know? Fine. It may’ve taken me longer dan most to catch on, but I love y’r _frère_. I really do. I love him with everyt’ing dat I got inside of me.”

“But…”

“But he’s driving me up de wall.” Remy lifted a hand and grabbed the bandana that he’d been wearing to keep his hair out of his face, yanking it off his head to ball up in his hands in a display of agitation that was reflected in the expression on his face. “He’s so damn sure I’m just gonna up and bail on him, Alex. He looks at me like he’s just waiting fo’ de day I’m gonna turn around and run, y’know? An not’ing I say, not’ing I do, makes it any better.”

Understanding washed through Alex. “Ahh.” So that’s what it was. He should’ve figured it. Leaning back, he rested on his elbows on the step behind him and he kicked his legs out in front of him to cross at the ankle. This conversation could take a bit. He might as well be comfortable for it. “You know he’s got commitment issues, Rem.”

“ _Oui_ , I know, an I’ve always tried to be considerate of dem. Hell, I got plenty of m’ own. But can’t he have a little trust? At least some?”

“He does. You wouldn’t be staying here if he didn’t.” There was only one way that Alex could see to really help Remy understand this and he knew that Spencer definitely wasn’t going to be fond of the idea. In fact, if he found out, he’d be furious. But he wasn’t here and Alex knew that this was something that needed to be said if Remy was going to stick around. He needed to understand. Alex took a pull off his beer to settle himself before asking “Has he talked a lot with you about his past? Family, friends, relationships? Those kinds of things?”

Remy looked a little surprised by the question and then a little cautious. “ _Oui_. Some.”

“Has he ever told you about any of the people he’s dated?”

“Not in no detail. Just generalities.” The look on Remy’s face change and his expression firmed slightly. “An I don’t need y’ telling me, Alex Summers. If Spencer wants me to know dan he can tell me.”

The loyalty to Spencer was something Alex could both appreciate and approve of. He waved a hand at Remy to quiet him and then gestured to the ground. “Just shut up and sit down a minute, would you?” He watched and waited as Remy debated before finally dropping down to the grass a few feet away from Alex’s feet. He stretched out casually, his beer held loosely in one hand and a cigarette seemingly materializing from nowhere, but Alex saw the slight tension in his face and he knew Remy wasn’t as calm as he appeared. But he was here and listening and that was what mattered. “I’m not going to give you a ton of details and secrets here, so quit your panicking, Rem. But I’m going to tell you things that Spencer won’t ever get the courage to say. Call it a brother’s prerogative.”

“He aint gonna like it.” Remy pointed out. His tone wasn’t that protesting anymore, though. There was curiosity there.

“Nope.” Alex agreed. “He won’t like that we talked about him at all, but he’ll get over it. You need to realize just how big his abandonment and commitment issues are. Do you know that he sees a psychologist?”

Remy looked surprised at that. “ _Non_.”

“Scott’s had him in therapy since he was like, sixteen. He hasn’t gone nonstop, of course. He stops for a while here and there, but he always ends up going back. People have fucked him up from the get-go and he’s amazingly okay from most of it, but he’s got his issues. He got good reason, too. Hell, I’d be a lot more fucked in the head if I’d gone through as much shit as him. I mean, you lay out his life and it plays out like some tragedy. But I’m not even gonna touch on all the other bad shit. This is about his abandonment and commitment problems. Have you ever stopped and thought about just how many people have bailed on him? Sure, not all of them were by choice, but it still feels the same to the kid left behind.” He held up his free hand and started ticking them off on his fingers. “First there’d be Mom. Like I said, she didn’t leave by choice, but he never even got to know her. Plus, you know, he still feels guilt for her death.”

“Guilt? Why? He was just a _bébé_!” Remy exclaimed.

Grimacing, Alex sighed. “He heard Pop once when he was drunk on Mom’s birthday, saying something about how Spencer's birth killed her. Spence was five at the time an those words hit him hard. They’ve stuck with him since then.”

“Fuck.” Remy frowned and lifted his beer bottle to take another drink.

“Yeah. So he feels guilty about Mom dying, and then Pop just bails on him and gives him to the Reids, another abandonment. Then, when he’s ten, William leaves and he leaves only a note behind. Then you’ve got Diana—she was still there, but in a way, she wasn’t, you know? He’s lost her little by little to her disease.”

“Another abandonment.”

“Yep.”

“No wonder he feels like people are gonna leave.” Remy murmured. He drew off his cigarette and blew smoke up in the air.

Alex shook his head and took another drink. “That’s only the tip of the iceberg. Fast forward to college where he started way too fucking young. He was younger and smarter than a lot of people and it didn’t get him anymore friends. He didn’t even date until he was seventeen, an that ended up being some girl who picked him up on a dare from her friends. Some ‘pick up the nerd’ thing that they did.” Alex remembered how devastated Spencer had been to learn that. His fingers tightened around the neck of his bottle and he had to force them to loosen. “After that, he dated only one other person before the Bureau, and that guy ended up cheating on him. Then, keep going forward, we’ve got all the shit he’s gone through since the Bureau. That guy, the Fisher King…”

Remy nodded at that. “De one dat went after his team. He was de one dat was at Bennington with Diana.”

“Yep. That screwed with his head. He’s got guilt there over Elle being shot and everything else. Figures that it was his fault cause this fucker got all the stuff from Diana, who told him about the letters Spencer wrote her full of stuff that was private. So, in Spencer's head, that makes it his fault.”

“How de hell is it his fault some _connard_ did all dat?”

“You know Spencer. He takes guilt for everything, Rem. It gets worse because that shit basically led to Elle leaving later on, which he figures means that’s his fault, too. Then, let’s see, there’s Georgia and everything there. That’s another fucked up thing. An the shit that comes afterwards.” That was enough to have Alex needing to pause. He still remembered just how bad things had been for Spencer after that. That was one of the lowest times he ever remembered seeing his brother hit. “Then Gideon up and vanishes and he leaves a note that reads like a damn suicide note. I could go on and on here, but do you see what I’m getting at? Do you see the build up here?”

A low sigh slid from Remy. “Yeah.”

“An none of that’s touching on the friends that have fucked with his head over the years. Aside from a very select few people, just a handful of us, people have bailed on Spence his whole life. So yeah, he’s gonna look at you and be afraid for a while. He’s gonna wonder when you’ll have enough of him and bail out just like everyone else. And the worst part is he wouldn’t blame you for it. He’d figure it’s his fault.”

“But I aint going nowhere!”

“And he’ll figure that out, eventually. It’s just gonna take time. The question here is, can you be patient enough to wait it out? Is he worth it to you to put up with this? Cause make no mistake, Rem. I love the little shit but he comes with a semi-truck full of baggage. You knew that being his friend.”

There was no hesitation on Remy’s face on in his voice. “He’s more dan worth it.”

Alex relaxed a little at the fierceness of Remy’s reply. Good. It was obvious Remy meant what he said just as it was obvious how much Spencer meant to him. Over the years Alex had wondered and worried about his baby brother and whether or not there was ever going to be anyone that would have the patience to take him on and work their way past those protective walls that he worked so hard to put up. Spencer had had to protect himself for so long, he’d gotten bad about even letting anyone in. But if there was anyone that had a chance of doing it, he had a feeling Remy would be the one. He had enough love and sheer stubbornness to meet Spencer toe to toe and not back down. Settling in a little more comfortably, Alex tipped his bottle Remy’s direction. “Best of luck to you, Rem. You’re gonna have to work for it. The best things in life don’t come easy, though. But remember, you hurt him and you’ll be wearing your ass for a hat.”

Laughter bubbled up from Remy. He tossed his head, throwing his hair back from his face, and he grinned. “I take it de feelings portion of t’ings is done with, den?”

“I’ve hit my quota for, like, the fucking week.”

“Well, grab a hammer an come help me get dese roof pieces up.” In a move that even Alex could admit was graceful, Remy rose up from the ground. He gestured for Alex to follow him. “C’mon. Y’ can build somet’ing and swear while y’ drink y’r beer. Dat ought to leave y’ feeling a bit more manly.”

“Can I scratch my ass and tell nasty jokes?” Alex asked as he climbed to his feet.

Remy let out another laugh. Some of the stress had melted off his face and he looked a bit more relaxed than he had when this conversation had started. “Y’ go right on ahead, _mon frère_.            “

CXCX

That conversation played in Remy’s head for the rest for the day. What Alex had said had got Remy thinking about quite a few things. He’d never really stopped to think before about so much of Spencer's past. Oh, he’d heard bits and pieces of it over the years, and he knew that his best friend had had things hard. But Spencer didn’t always talk about it and Remy hadn’t pushed it. Why would he? He had plenty of things in his past that he’d mentioned once or twice to Spencer, or not at all, and that he didn’t want to ever talk about. Everyone did. But now he was thinking about those things, for the both of them, and he could see why they were where they were. He was also beginning to see how he’d sort of built up this idea in his head that all he would have to do was show up here and things would just be okay. That everything would fall perfectly into place. They’d fallen into their friendship so easily, why not their relationship, too?

But Alex was right. The best things in life _didn’t_ come easy. If he wanted this to work with Spencer, then he was going to have to put some effort into it. Spencer was worth it. Spencer and their little one were very much worth it.

Realizing that brought a patience that Remy hadn’t realized that he had. Suddenly the worried looks and the hesitance in his partner just didn’t bother him as much as they had. In time, they would fade. He’d show Spencer that he was going to stick around. And, at the same time, he’d show himself that this was real and quiet his own fears that were buried deep down inside.

His newfound peace and understanding had him much more relaxed that evening. When he came back from taking his shower that night and he found Spencer curled up on one end of the couch, he couldn’t help but smile. At twenty one weeks, Spencer had a definite belly. There was no mistaking it for being overweight. It wasn’t so big yet as to really bother him _too_ much but it was definitely noticeable. Especially right now. Spencer was dressed in just a pair of boxers and a shirt—one of Remy’s shirts, to be exact. Remy had quickly discovered Spencer's tendency to raid his clothes. Unlike Alex, he didn’t protest, though. There was something extremely appealing and satisfying about seeing Spencer with that nice round belly dressed in his clothes.

Clad in just a pair of pajama pants, he moved on silent feet over towards his partner. Spencer was busy writing in the notebook that he was holding. He had to be paying some kind of attention, though. He didn’t jump at all when Remy came and lay down on the couch, his head going right to Spencer's lap. A hint of amusement touched his lips, though, curving them ever so slightly at the edges. Remy smirked up at him. “Aint as much space to do dis as dere used to be.” He teased.

That hint of a smile grew into a full blown one. Those electric eyes flashed over the side of the notebook and down to Remy’s face. “You really know how to stroke a man’s ego.”

“Been told I’m good at stroking.” Remy said with a wink.

There was a moment’s pause as that sank in and then Spencer's cheeks turned a fetching shade of pink. His eyes resolutely went back to his notebook. “You’re incorrigible.”

“If I promise to behave, will y’ do me a favor?”

“It depends on the favor?”

Remy held up the hairbrush that he’d brought out with him and he watched as Spencer's expression turned amused once more. “Ah, I should’ve figured.” Shaking his head, Spencer finished whatever word or line he was on and then he closed his notebook, hooking his pen in the edge of it. Then he surprised Remy by smacking his forehead with the notebook. “Well get off my lap, then.” He let out a laugh as Remy scrambled down off the couch and down to the floor. Spencer sat up a little and carefully situated himself, spreading his knees so there was room for Remy to sit between them. “At least I’ll have plenty of practice for our child. I even know how to braid, thanks to you.”

“Y’ don’t have to do it.” Remy reminded him. He didn’t let it stop him from crossing his legs and getting settled in, holding the brush up for Spencer to take. The first stroke of the brush through his hair had him sighing and relaxing. This was a small pleasure that he indulged in only with Spencer. Ever since he’d gotten a huge knot in his hair once and Spencer had told him to sit down and let him work it out for him. Remy had fallen in love then with the sensation of having someone brush out his hair.

Chuckling, Spencer continued his steady, smooth strokes, systematically working out the knots in Remy’s wet hair. “I know that. But I don’t mind. Besides,” He gave a light, teasing tug to Remy’s hair. “It’s one of the few times I can get you to be still.”

There was no point even trying to deny that. Remy wasn’t exactly known for being still. But he could be still for this. Or, at least, _mostly_ still. His fingers were tapping absently on his knee. “Dat must be one heck of a letter y’r working on dere, cher.” He commented idly. “Y’ been writing dere fo’ a while.”

Since he couldn’t see Spencer, he didn’t notice the flush of color that built in the man’s cheeks, but he did feel the brush fumble slightly. Spencer paused in his brushing for a moment before starting once again. “I, ah, wasn’t writing a letter.”

The urge to ask what he was doing was strong. But Remy bit his tongue and held it in. Obviously it was something that Spencer wasn’t quite comfortable talking about. He wasn’t going to push it, no matter how curious he was now. “ _Désolé, mon amour_. Didn’t mean to get nosey.” He said instead.

He heard Spencer chuckle slightly again. “Of course you did. You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t nosey.” There was a brief pause in which Remy could tell Spencer was debating his next words. Then Spencer blew out a breath and said “I was writing down a…a story.” He made a sound that was half laugh, half scoff, and quickly added on “I know it sounds ridiculous. Story writing is the very last thing that someone would expect a person like me to do. It’s not anything serious, anyways. Just some, some scribbles, that’s all.”

“What kind of story?” Remy asked curiously. He ignored the last bit, focusing instead on the important part.

“Well, it’s not really _my_ story, so to speak. It’s kind of Scott’s story, I guess you could say, I just changed it around a little and grew it up.” Spencer said. Neither one noticed that he’d stopped brushing. The hairbrush sat loosely in one hand, resting on his leg, while his other hand idly stroked through Remy’s hair. “When I was little and I would stay over at the Colonel’s, I had a hard time going to sleep at night. It was a strange house, a strange bed with all these noises I didn’t know. To help me get to sleep, Scott used to come sit in there and make up stories for me. After a few times, Alex started coming in and listening too. But neither of us was very good at just listening. We started trying to tell the story with him. And so it ended up the three of us sitting in there, telling stories about our hero and all the amazing things he accomplished with the help of his two brothers. I just…took those stories and sort of, grew them up a little, that’s all.”

Remy turned himself so that he could look up at Spencer's face. There was a hint of blush to his cheeks and definite embarrassment there that showed in the way he wouldn’t even meet Remy’s eyes. This was something important to him. Something bigger than he was letting on. Any casual remark Remy might’ve made was washed away. As much as Spencer was right, as odd as it was to find out that this scientific man liked to write _stories_ , it sort of made a bit of sense. He’d probably read more stories than almost anyone and he retained everything he read. Was it really surprising that his amazing mind managed to come up with stories of his own? There was really only one thing Remy could think of to say here. “Can I read it?”

Surprise lit up Spencer's eyes. They locked on Remy’s face for one brief moment as if reading the honesty of his words there. Then his flush grew a little deeper and he shrugged one shoulder while dropping his gaze away again. “If you really want to. Like I said, it’s nothing special. Just something I write for myself, that’s all.” He gestured to the messenger bag on the floor near Remy. “The blue notebook in there is where it starts.”

Without hesitation Remy got into the bag and pulled out the notebook. Then he climbed back up onto the couch and went back to where he’d started all this, with his head lying in Spencer's lap. He settled in comfortably and flipped the notebook open to the first page. He felt Spencer shift a little, going back to his writing, and then Remy basically ignored everything around him as he let himself get sucked into the story that unfolded over the pages.

He got so absorbed in what he was reading that he didn’t even note the passage of time. The story reached out and gripped him, pulling him in and keeping him turning page after page. He was a third of the way through the notebook, and totally engrossed, when Spencer nudged at him to move. “I need to use the restroom.” He explained. Remy sat up and automatically held out a hand for Spencer to brace on, but he never took his eyes off the page in front of him. He was still sitting there reading when Spencer came back.

Feeling the couch dip slightly as his partner sat down, Remy finally broke long enough to look up at him. “Y’ wrote dis?”

Spencer looked beyond nervous. He was biting on his bottom lip and he was twisting his fingers together. “Yeah. Like I said, it wasn’t really ever written for anyone else. Just for, just for me. I know it’s sort of rough and a little weird…”

“It’s wonderful.” Remy interrupted. His honest words seemed to floor Spencer completely. The genius fell silent and just stared as Remy looked back down at the notebook and then back up at him. “Y’ got a way of pulling someone in with y’r words. Y’r characters feel like dey’re real, not just people on a page. When y’ had dat scene between Dylan and his Uncle, I could feel just how pissed off Dylan was getting an how close he was to just decking de old man, _mais_ Tris held him back. Dey’re Scotty and Alex, _oui_? I could see Scotty doing dat with Alex.”

“They are.” Spencer looked even more surprised now. “You…you really think it came out okay?”

“I t’ink y’ better hush an let me get comfortable so I can find out what happens next.” Remy said with a laugh. “An I t’ink I aint gonna be getting no sleep tonight till I find out.”

Two spots of color appeared in Spencer's cheeks and his smile was both shy and pleased. When Remy tucked into the corner of the couch and lifted one arm, Spencer easily slid in and leaned against him, his own notebook on his lap. The two cuddled together while one created a world that had once been his sole means of escape from the things he lived, and the other immersed himself in that world.


	12. Chapter 12

As far as Spencer was concerned, he thought he’d been handling this whole pregnancy thing rather well, all things considered. He’d gathered himself together rather quickly after only a minor freak out while he’d been at the Mansion and he’d been going well since then. He hadn’t even really freaked out that much over leaving his job, or over the worry of finding another job, or anything like that. All in all, he’d been doing rather well.

He should’ve known it wouldn’t last

It was three o’clock in the morning and Spencer found himself sitting at the kitchen table by himself, cradling a cup of tea between his hands and trying to keep himself calm as the kicking in his stomach that had woken him up seemed to grow even stronger. It seemed like overnight the kicking had intensified. Before it had been only flutters, light kicks here and there, but now all of a sudden it was these great, giant kicks that woke him up and left no doubt whatsoever as to what they were or where they came from. And Spencer, for the first time, was well and truly freaking out. Why it was that this made it all seem more real he had no idea. It just did. And with that slap of reality came the panic that he’d fought so hard to keep away.

 _Only me_ , he thought to himself. _Only I would be sitting here eat three-twelve in the morning having a private little panic attack about a pregnancy that’s already been twenty two weeks in the making._

What was he supposed to do? How did he deal with this? Should he go and wake Remy up? No, no. Part of the panic dealt with Remy. Until he fixed it in his head, how could he talk about it to the man? And he couldn’t go down and wake up Alex. There was no way in hell he was going to wake up his brother to talk to him about something like this. Alex wouldn’t know what to do. He didn’t handle emotions like this very well. Besides, Spencer had a feeling if he got going there could be a chance for tears if he wasn’t careful—his empathy was harder to control the more the pregnancy progressed and his emotions seemed to bleed toward the extremes anymore—and Alex couldn’t handle tears. But he had to talk to _someone_.

It came to him, then, and he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it before. He looked at his cell phone sitting on the table, which he’d brought out from the bedroom with him out of habit, and contemplated it. If it was just after three here, that meant it would be just after seven in DC. Spencer bit his lip and thought about it for only a moment longer before picking up the phone and dialing the number. Three rings later a familiar voice came on the line. “ _JJ speaking._ ”

“Hey JJ.” Spencer said softly.

Her reply was almost instant. “ _Spence! Oh, it’s so good to hear from you. How are you?_ ”

“Oh, not that bad. How are you?” Something struck him and he paused, a little worried. “You’re not busy on a case, are you?”

“ _We’re on a case, but we’re at the hotel right now. We’re supposed to meet up in about an hour, so I’ve got time, don’t worry._ ” She reassured him. “ _I haven’t heard from you for a little while. I was beginning to wonder about you._ ”

Sheepishly, he rubbed at the back of his neck. “I know. I’ve been really bad about calling. I’ll try and get better about it, I promise.”

Her warm laugh made him smile. “ _So long as you keep sending me those great letters, I don’t mind at all. I know you’re not a big fan of telephones, anyways._ ”

It was true; he wasn’t. His empathy made conversations different for him than for other people. Even when shielded, he still _felt_ a person, even if it wasn’t something that he could truly read. There was always a presence to people. Talking on a phone took that presence away and it made the whole conversation feel strange to him. Like he was talking to someone that wasn’t really there at all. JJ liked to tease him about it but she was one of the most understanding. She was one of the most understanding about pretty much all of his quirks. Though most people assumed that Derek was his best friend—and they were close, closer than he was with quite a few people—Spencer had to say that there was no one at the BAU that knew him better than JJ did. They’d built a strong and steady friendship over the years that had only been strengthened by the birth of his Godson. Spencer didn’t really put JJ in the category of ‘friend’. She was more like a sister to him.

His silence had stretched on a little too long now and JJ picked up on that easily. “ _Spence, what’s wrong? And don’t try telling me ‘nothing’. The fact that you’re calling me at what I’m guessing is around three or four in the morning for you tells me that there’s something wrong._ ”

“Three fifteen.” Spencer corrected automatically.

“ _My point still stands. What’s going on?_ ”

This was why he’d called her. He’d called because he’d wanted someone to talk to about this, someone that understood the situation and who would understand him. Who would understand and listen without any form of judgment and who wouldn’t be afraid to tell him if he was being stupid about something. JJ was always honest with him, sometimes brutally so, especially after Emily’s death and ‘rebirth’. They maintained a very blunt honesty in their friendship since then.

Too agitated to sit, Spencer pushed up from his chair. He didn’t really stop to think about it as he grabbed the zip-up sweater hanging on the hook by the back door. He just took it and slid it on while he made his way onto the back patio. “Can I ask you a question?” he asked her. The cool night air hit him and had him giving a slight shiver as he zipped the jacket up.

“ _Of course you can._ ”

“Did you ever have days while pregnant with Henry that you looked at yourself and wondered what the hell you thought you were doing?” He blurted out.

“ _All the time_.” JJ said with a laugh. “ _I think it’s part of pregnancy. That fear that you’re going to mess up your child, that you’re going to be a horrible parent. I think I was about, oh, six months when it really hit me that there was a living, breathing child inside of me, and when it came out, I was going to be completely responsible for it. I freaked out, completely_.”

“Really?”

“ _Yeah. Scared the hell out of Will. He came home and found me standing in the middle of the nursery having a meltdown. I told him he had to take everything back, that I’d changed my mind. Then, when he tried to be nice, I started yelling at him that it was his fault for getting me pregnant to begin with. I totally freaked out. I think Will thought I was possessed or something_.”

“How’d you get past it?”

“ _Letting it all out there helped. I realized afterwards that I’d been trying to be what I thought everyone would expect me to be—calm, collected, happy. I thought I had to be the strong one all the time. That night, I let Will be the strong one, and I let myself panic. I let myself be a little scared. And when I let it all out, I felt, well, better. I was still scared but it wasn’t anything big anymore_.” She paused and he could just picture what she would look like then. The way she’d tilt her head and the little smile that would touch her lips. The warm look that would be on her face, the sister of his heart. “ _Is that what’s bugging you right now, Spence? Are you having your freak out moment?_ ”

Spencer made a derisive sound in the back of his throat. He made his way over to the patio stairs and braced his hand on the railing to help lower himself down. “I think that would be putting it mildly.”

“ _Talk to me. What’s going on in that brain of yours?_ ”

“I just don’t know how I’m going to be a parent, JJ.” Spencer blurted the words out. Here, with her, he gave himself permission to say all the things he hadn’t even wanted to think about but hadn’t been able to stop. Things that had ran around his mind for what felt like so long now. “I feel like I’m on this giant roller coaster and I’m riding blind. I don’t know where I’m going, what I’m doing, what’s up ahead of me. I haven’t found a job yet, I haven’t even found a place to live once the child’s born. And what am I going to do once this child is born? How am I supposed to be a Dad? I have no idea how to do that! I didn’t exactly have the best of role models in that category.”

“ _Okay, first things first, you’re going to be a great Dad, Spence._ ” JJ said firmly. “ _You’re wonderful with Henry; he adores you and you know it. And if I know anything about you, then I’d bet you’ve read up on every parenting book out there, so you’ll have the book knowledge for it. Everything else, you’ll learn as you go, just like the rest of the parents in the world.”_

“But what if I screw it up?” Spencer curled his free arm around his waist and leaned his shoulder against the railing beside him. He lifted his eyes and looked out over the night sky. For once the dark didn’t scare him, not truly. He looked at the stars and sighed. “I know how much damage a parent can cause even when they don’t mean to. Even when they try their hardest, sometimes they still end up hurting their kids. I don’t want to do that.”

He heard JJ sigh softly over the line. “ _You’re going to screw up, hon. Every parent does. I screw up. Will screws up. Hotch screws up. We all do it. You have to resign yourself to that now. No one is perfect. All you can do is try your best—and your best, Dr. Reid, is pretty damn good, I’d say. Besides, you’re not going to be alone. You’ve got so much family around to help you. Us included. You know you can always call on me if you need me._ ”

“I know.” He murmured.

“ _Have you talked to Remy about any of this?_ ”

“No.” A little embarrassed, he looked down and stared at the wood of the step below him, tracing a line on it with his toe.

“ _Spence…_ ”

“I know, I know. I just…I don’t want to scare him off, you know? He’s barely been here and I’ve had much more time to get used to the idea than he has. I wanted to give him time to settle in.”

“ _Right_.” That single word was dripping in sarcasm. She sighed again and he just knew she was shaking her head at him. “ _You’re never going to be able to trust anyone to stick around if you don’t give them the chance. After what you told me you put him through to get here, I think he’s well proved how much he cares about you and how willing his is to make this work. If this relationship fails, it’s not going to be his fault. It’s going to be yours. You hide to avoid getting hurt but it hides you from the good, too. If you want this to work between the two of you, you’re going to have to start trusting him and putting some actual effort into this. Relationships take work and they take trust. Yours won’t work if you’re not willing to do either of those.”_

Her blunt words hit him rather had. He reeled from them, eyes a little wide as he stared down at the step below still. “Wow. You don’t pull any punches, do you?”

“ _Just giving you the truth. You wouldn’t have called me if you didn’t want that._ ”

Very true. It was one of the things he loved about her. But her blunt words had rang far too true for his comfort and he shifted uncomfortably on his seat. In a soft voice, he said the words very few had ever heard from him. “I’m scared.”

JJ’s voice went soft and warm. “I know. Love is scary. _Life_ is scary. That’s how we know it’s real.”

There was a whisper of movement behind Spencer and he knew without turning who he would find. He’d felt the man wake up and had felt him start to move this way. Spencer didn’t turn around, just kept staring at the step, but he knew what he needed to do. He knew what was right here. “Can I call you back later on, JJ? I’ve got something I need to take care of.”

“ _Of course. You take care, Spence. Love you._ ”

“Love you too. And…thanks.”

Spencer still didn’t turn around even after he’d hung up the phone. He just sat there on the step and curled both arms in around himself. The breeze was light but it was definitely chilly and it seemed to blow right through his pajama pants. He tipped his head sideways and let it rest against the post there that held the railing. “Sorry if I woke you.” He said without turning around.

There was only the soft brush of fabric against fabric to warn him and then a warm body was sitting down next to his on the top step. “It’s all right. I’m a light sleeper, me.” Remy said.

Another breeze blew past and Spencer didn’t even think about it before turning just enough to lean against Remy instead of the post. Remy lifted his arm the instant Spencer leaned in and draped it around his shoulders, tucking Spencer against him. He plucked lightly at the sleeve of the hoodie Spencer wore. “Nice coat.”

Looking down, Spencer realized that it wasn’t Alex’s coat like he’d thought, it was Remy’s. He gave a small smile. “It was there.”

“Y’ know I don’t mind. I like seeing y’ in m’ stuff.”

“Mm.”

The night grew quiet around them but for the crickets as the two sat there together. Spencer let himself relax there under Remy’s arm. He thought about what JJ had said, about her advice, and he let it turn round and round in his mind. She was right, he knew. Relationships took work and trust and he very rarely gave either. Fear kept him from doing so. If he wanted this one to work then he was going to have to put some effort into it. He was going to have to open himself up, really and truly, and risk getting hurt. Or else he could risk losing everything. Would it be so hard to trust Remy? Had the man ever done anything to show he wasn’t worth it? If anything, he’d proved himself trustworthy time and time again. That was why they’d been such close friends. Spencer had trusted him with things he hadn’t even trusted his brothers with. Did them being in a relationship now really change that trust? Did it automatically take it away? _No._ Of course not. If anything, it should make it stronger.

He’d trusted Remy with his secrets, had trusted him with his body on that fateful night, and he’d even trusted him with his life before. Why shouldn’t he trust him with his heart?

Spencer sighed once more, a habit he told himself he really needed to get out of, and he tipped his head just enough to better rest it against Remy’s shoulder. For the second time tonight he said the words he always had such trouble saying. “I’m scared.” He said them softly, yet he knew Remy heard him. He felt the man’s surprise and felt his attention sharpen. But Remy said nothing. He just held on to Spencer and waited. That made it easier for Spencer to keep going. “I feel like I’m scared, all the time, and I didn’t know how to say it to you, or to Alex, or anyone, really. I thought I could just wait it out and it would go away but it hasn’t.”

“What’s got y’ so scared?”

“Everything.” Spencer gave a weak chuckle. “I’m scared about everything. About us, about what’s going to happen in our relationship and to our friendship. I’m scared I’m not going to find work, or a home. I’m scared that I’m going to lose my friends, who just won’t have the time to really come and visit. But mostly, I’m scared about having this child. God, am I scared about that.”

Remy bent his head enough that his cheek rested against the top of Spencer's head. “Me too, cher.”

“What do we know about being parents, Remy? You, at least, had Jean Luc and Mattie. You have some frame of reference.”

“And y’ had Scotty.” Remy interjected. “He’s like a dad to y’.”

True. Spencer nodded a little, conceding that point. “Yeah, he can be.”

“As fo’ de rest, well.” Shrugging slightly, Remy turned his head enough to press a kiss against Spencer's hair, a gesture he’d done thousands of times before. “We’ll get it figured out. Y’ and I, we’ll get dat figured out, bit by bit. So long as we both keep trying, we’ll make it, cher. We’re too stubborn not to.”

That drew a soft laugh from Spencer. “That you definitely are.”

“Hey now!” Remy reached over and poked his leg, making him laugh. “I said ‘we’, not just me. Y’ got y’r fair share of dat stubborn Summers gene too.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh huh. Y’ just keep telling y’rself dat.” But Remy was chuckling now, and he gave Spencer another small squeeze. “We’ll make it, Spencer. We’ll find a place and y’ll find a job dat y’ wanna do.”

“All I’ve ever known is being a profiler. But I can’t do that job anymore; not and raise a child at the same time.”

“What about y’r job here?” Remy asked.

Spencer tipped his head and looked up with surprise. “I’m not staying here.” He told Remy. Didn’t he realize this? “This job is just to hold me over and give me something to do while I’m here. It’s not a job for my future. I’m not staying here once the child’s born, Remy. The plan has always been to go back to New York. I want to be near my family and friends. Besides, your work is there. I’m not asking you to leave your work. It’s important to you.”

Lifting his free hand, Remy brushed his knuckles over Spencer's cheek, smiling down at him. There was a look in his eyes that Spencer had never seen there before; warm and deep, stronger than anything he’d ever seen or felt before. “De two of y’ are important to me.”

“I know.” In that moment he knew it without a doubt. He could _feel_ it and it thrilled him to his core. That feeling had him smiling and pushing past his own inhibitions to reach up and capture Remy’s hand with his, holding it in place so he could turn and press a kiss against his knuckles. “You’re important to me, too, Remy. And what you do is important and it’s a part of who you are. I understand that. I always knew you’d continue to work even if we ended up together. I just, I don’t know what _I’m_ going to do.”

“Why don’t y’ teach?”

Surprise had Spencer's eyebrows going up. “Me? Teach? Are you serious?”

“Y’r de smartest man I know, cher. Why shouldn’t y’ teach?” Remy asked.

“Because I don’t do well speaking in front of groups! And you’ve heard me talk, Remy. I ramble on and on!”

“Spencer, y’ been away from academia fo’ too long.” Remy turned their joined hands, cupping his hand against Spencer's cheek. His thumb stroked lightly over Spencer's cheekbone. “Teachers are _supposed_ to ramble. Dey’re supposed to talk and lecture. Dat’s how de students learn. Y’r just too used to being at de BAU. I aint saying not’ing against y’r _amis_ , dey wasn’t doing anyt’ing wrong, but dey had to cut y’ off more often dan not cause y’ was always on a time constraint and dey needed de information quickly. Y’ve gotten too used to being cut off.”

“But…but I couldn’t teach.”

“Y’r one of de most brilliant men I’ve ever known, Spencer. Somet’ing tells me y’ could do just about anyt’ing y’ put y’r mind to.” Remy murmured. He smiled and bent his head, stealing a small kiss. “It’s just a thought. Y’ aint gotta make a decision right now. Just put it in de back of y’r mind and t’ink about it now and again. Fo’ now, why don’t we get y’ inside and into bed? I can tell y’r cold.”

The abrupt switch in topic had Spencer floundering for only a moment. He did the only thing he could do and he took Remy’s advice, putting the thought of teaching into the back of his mind for now. He could focus on that later. For now, the idea of cuddling up with Remy did sound good, but… “I don’t think I’ll be able to get back to sleep. Bed just doesn’t sound that appealing.”

“Dat’s fine, y’ aint gotta go to sleep.” Remy said. “What do y’ say we go in dere and curl up on de couch like we used to an watch somet’ing on Netflix, yeah?”

Spencer thought about it for a moment. He slanted a look up at Remy through his bangs. “Who gets to pick?”

Amusement danced in Remy’s eyes. He gave a dramatic sigh that clearly told Spencer just what his answer was. “Fine, fine, y’ can pick.” Remy shook his head as he pushed up to his feet. He held his hands out to Spencer, smiling down at him. “Y’r lucky I love y’. I wouldn’t watch dis fo’ just anyone, y’ know.”

“You know you like it.” Spencer grinned broadly and let Remy pull him upright. “Admit it, LeBeau. I’ve converted you.”

“Ha! As if.”

“Admit it.” Spencer said the words in a sing-song voice. He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Remy roll his eyes. “You can try and hide it but I know the truth, Remy LeBeau. You’re a closet Whovian.”

Remy opened the door for them when they reached it, standing aside to let Spencer go in first. “Bite y’r tongue. I may watch it wit’ y’ but it don’t mean I’m a Whovian. An don’t go getting no funny ideas, neither!” He pointed a finger at the back of Spencer's head as he followed him in towards the living room. “I don’t care what y’ say, I aint going to Comic Con with y’!”

The only answer he got to that was Spencer's laughter.


	13. Chapter 13

Over the next couple of weeks the conversations that Spencer had shared with JJ and with Remy sat inside of his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about what they’d both said to him and about the things they’d brought to light. He didn’t keep his thoughts to himself, though. That was one important lesson that he took from his conversation with JJ. He didn’t shut Remy out. This was their life, after all. One that they were going to live together. Remy had just as much right to help plan things out as Spencer did. He had the right to give his opinion on things.

The two often sat together on the couch or in bed or even outside and talked about what they could do with their future. It was during one of those talks that Remy brought up something that Spencer had never even thought of. Something that seemed completely and utterly ridiculous to him. “Have y’ ever thought about publishing y’r writing?” Remy asked him.

Spencer paused in the act of grabbing a grape from the bowl resting on his stomach. He was leaned back just right against Remy’s side, of the man’s arms around him, that it put him at the perfect angle to use his stomach as a little table. He turned his head enough to sneak a look up at Remy’s face to try and see if he was serious. “Publish? Are you serious?”

“Spencer, y’r writing is wonderful. It’s amazing. Why shouldn’t y’ share it with de world?”

That, of course, had to be the time that Alex came out to join them, having just finished showering. “Writing?” He asked as he strolled over to the couch. He shoved at Spencer's feet, pushing them out of the way so that he could drop down onto the other end of the couch. “You write, pidge? I didn’t know that. What kind of stuff are we talking about here? Profiling books? Books on killers you’ve helped catch?”

If looks could kill, Remy would’ve been writhing on the floor close to death in that moment. Luckily for him Spencer didn’t have that ability. He wasn’t even the least bit perturbed by the glare that was sent his way. In fact, he grinned at Spencer and then made it all worse. “ _Non, mon frère_. He wrote out dis amazing fantasy story. I’ve only read de first book, but he’s already written so much he’s got it separated into a second book now.”

“Fantasy?” Alex arched an eyebrow at him. Reaching out, he smacked Spencer's leg. “You little shit. I wanna read it.”

“It’s nothing.” Spencer insisted. He shot another glare at Remy, who just grinned at him, and then he looked back to Alex. The look on his brother’s face told him that this wasn’t something he was just going to let go. Nor did it sound like Remy would help keep his secret. He still tried to downplay it, though. “It’s not anything special. I just sort of…I put my own spin on those stories that we used to tell when we were little.”

That had Alex perking up a little. “The one about the brothers?”

“That’s the one.”

“Oh, man. Now I definitely need to read this. Where is it?”

Spencer huffed out a breath and slouched down a little more into the couch. Great. Just great. Instead of downplaying it, he’d managed to actually catch Alex’s interest even more. Because he knew his brother well, he didn’t try protesting anymore. “The notebooks are in the drawer of my nightstand. They’re dated, so take the earliest one. That’s the start.” As Alex raced from the room, Spencer turned to glare at Remy once more. “I’m going to get you for that later on.”

Remy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Promises, promises.”

Unable to help himself, Spencer laughed and shook his head. He turned his attention back to his grapes and popped the one he’d been holding into his mouth. He’d thought the conversation was over. Really, he should’ve known better. Remy never let go of anything that easily. He gave Spencer a small squeeze and said “So, really, why don’t y’ try sending it in to a publisher, see if dey like it? It couldn’t hurt not’ing, y’ know.”

“You’re persistent.” Spencer said dryly. He watched as Alex came back out, the already open notebook in his hands.

Behind him, Remy chuckled. “ _Oui_. So?”

The idea of publishing had never even occurred to Spencer before. These were stories that he wrote for his own personal entertainment. He hadn’t written them with anyone else in mind. But Remy had read the first book and he’d loved it, or so he said, and Alex seemed engrossed in it now as he reached the couch. He was so engrossed that Spencer had to move his feet quickly or Alex would’ve simply sat on them. He dropped down onto the couch and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table. Then he settled himself back into the corner and focused fully on his reading. While Spencer was the ‘speed reader’ in the family, as they jokingly called him, Alex and Scott could both read just a bit faster than the average person. They also tended to get just as absorbed in reading as Spencer did. It seemed to be a sort of family trait. Spencer could see it as his brother shut out the world around him to focus on the notebook he held and he found himself feeing surprisingly nervous.

To distract from his nerves about Alex’s reaction, he focused instead on his conversation with Remy. “I’ve just never given it any thought. I’ve thought about writing, sure, but more along the lines of profiling books. Not a fantasy story like this.”

“Y’ could still write y’r profiling books.” Remy told him. “Just publish dese ones under a pseudonym. Dere are plenty of people out dere dat do dat.”

“I wouldn’t even know what to do.” Spencer protested.

Chuckling, Remy kissed his head. “It wouldn’t take all dat much to figure out. I could send it out fo’ y’, if y’ want. I know a few people in de business. An they wouldn’t do it as a favor, neither. If they agree it’d be because dey liked what dey read, not cause dey like me, I promise y’ dat.”

Why did that not surprise him? Remy knew people in almost every kind of business. Turning his head, Spencer looked back at him. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

Remy didn’t look away or even hesitate to answer. “ _Oui_.”

“And you really think that people would actually want to read this?”

“ _Oui_.”

A hand smacked against Spencer's calf suddenly and he looked over towards his brother. Alex was still staring at the notebook, his eyes moving across the page, but he spoke without ever even looking up. “Do it, pidge. I’m only a few pages in and I can say you’ve got a damn good way with words. What’s it gonna hurt to try, huh? You won’t be any worse off than you are now.”

Two against one here. Spencer shook his head and reached for his grapes once more. Personally, he highly doubted that anyone but those close to him would want to read anything he wrote, but if these two were so sure about this, Alex was right, it wouldn’t hurt to try. He wouldn’t get his hopes up, though. He knew better. He’d just let Remy send this out and then he could just forget about it. Nothing would come of it except for it would stop them from bugging him about the idea. What harm was there in letting Remy send this out to a few people? “Fine.” He said with another shake of his head. “Fine, Rem, go ahead and send it out under whatever pseudonym you want. But don’t be surprised when no one’s interested in it.” He ate another grape and then lifted one over his shoulder to offer it to Remy, who nipped it neatly out of his fingers. “Now, can we go back to talking about _actual_ work possibilities? I need to figure out some kind of real job.”

“I thought you were contemplating teaching.” Alex asked, looking up from the notebook briefly.

And so the conversation fell back into discussing the pros and cons of becoming a professor, and all the potentials of what and where to teach, and Spencer completely pushed all thoughts of his stories and publishers out of his mind. Even later on when he came across Remy transcribing his notebooks on his laptop, he just shook his head and went about making dinner. There were far more important things to focus on than some silly story and the highly unlikely possibility of that story ever being published.

He did, however, start to seriously think about other real work. For the first time Spencer put together a real resume for himself. He’d never had to do that before. Nor had he ever stopped to really think about taking his skills and putting them down in a list like this. Help with that came from a surprising quarter—Honey. She helped him figure out how to take what he did at the BAU and put into a list of comprehensible skills. She helped him figure out what should go on the resume and what should stay off. She convinced him to put in certain things to help ‘sell himself’ as she put it. The grandmotherly woman seemed to have made it her personal mission to help Spencer out with this and get him going on the road towards finding work. The minute she found out he was thinking of teaching, she was on him to get that resume finished and to start sending it out to different colleges. “There’s someone out there that will want you.” She told him. “You’re too good an opportunity to pass up.”

Spencer still had a hard time believing that. He had a hard time believing that anyone would really want to hire him for anything, especially considering his age. It wasn’t exactly common to find a Professor that was under thirty. But everyone assured him that his age wasn’t going to be a big deal when stood up next to his credentials. Still, he wasn’t sure. Not until the day he checked the mail on the way home from another doctor’s appointment and found quite a stack of mail waiting for him.

He stared at all the manila envelopes in his hand with shock while he carried them out to the car. He didn’t pay any attention at first when one of the back doors opened and Remy came out. Alex was driving them, as he usually was, and Remy had come along with them to the appointment. He’d been to every one of them since his arrival. It wasn’t often that these two let him go out alone anymore. As he hit his twenty seventh week, reaching the end of his second trimester, and he really started to show, both Remy and Alex had become even more protective. Not that Spencer could really fault them on it. Reactions in public were often mixed. Some people ignored him, some cooed at him like they would a pregnant woman, and then there were the ones who were either angered or disgusted by it. Those reactions could vary from sneers to insults to even violence, sometimes. Remy and Alex’s presence seemed to work as a good deterrent for the wannabe violent ones. So the two took him everywhere, even to and from work, and Spencer tried to keep himself at home when he wasn’t working.

Remy reached out when Spencer got close to help relieve him of some of the other mail he’d gotten. There wasn’t just the manila envelopes he was so absorbed in; there was other regular mail as well as two packages. “Here, give me dose, cher.” Remy said, taking the packages.

“Thanks.” Spencer said absently. He opened up his door and slid into his seat with a soft little sigh of relief. The seats in Alex’s car were comfortable. After a day of work, a doctor’s appointment, and then running a few errands, Spencer was definitely ready to be off his feet.

Alex glanced over as Spencer buckled himself in. “Looks like a crap ton of mail. Anything good?”

It took a second for Spencer to process the question and actually figure out an answer. “You’ve got bills.” He finally said.

Snorting, Alex put the car into gear and pulled back out onto the road. “I asked if there was anything _good_.”

“I’m not sure if any of it is good. I haven’t had the chance to look at it yet.”

“Touchy. Must be something important then.” Alex snug a glance over and then reached a hand out to try and quickly take one, but Spencer saw it and smacked his hand away. Quickly Alex yanked his hand back. “Hey! Watch it!”

“Keep your hands off my mail!” Spencer shot back.

There was movement behind him and then Remy’s arm came around the seat, on the side by the door, and draped over his shoulder. His face came up on the other side, right between the two of them. He’d gotten quite used to their bickering lately and he didn’t even shake his head over it as often as he used to. Instead, he just ignored it and focused on the mail that Spencer held. “Well go on an open it, cher. Dey gotta be somet’ing official to come in envelopes like dat, _oui_?”

“You two are beyond nosey.” Deliberately, Spencer shifted the mail on his lap, using the other letters to cover up the envelopes. “I’ll read them when I get home.” He didn’t tell them that he had a headache and he had a feeling that trying to read in the car would only make it worse. Since his pregnancy, he’d found he couldn’t read as easily in the car. Add in the nerves that were doing a tango in his stomach and the kicking that was growing steadily stronger and he’d probably end up throwing up if he tried to read.

Of course, the two bugged him the whole way home, nagging at him to open them up or let Remy open them, and they kept up a steady stream of guesses as to what might be in there. But Spencer held firm until they were home and finally inside. Remy, thank God for him, led Spencer straight to the couch and helped him get settled comfortably there with a pillow behind his back and his feet up. He even took his shoes for him. Spencer gave him a grateful look that had Remy smiling and bending to steal a kiss. “Relax fo’ a bit, _mon amour_. Y’ want anyt’ing to drink?”

“Please?”

Remy went off to the kitchen to get him something to drink and Spencer looked down at the mail he still held. He knew he couldn’t put it off. There were four manila envelopes. Four. None of them were thin, either. That had to be good, right? A rejection letter wouldn’t be thin. They probably wouldn’t even send him something if they didn’t want him. The fact that they were sending him something at all, especially something thick like that, it had to mean that they wanted him. Didn’t it?

There was only one way to find out. Spencer pushed down his ridiculous nerves and he set the other mail on the coffee table to be opened last. Then he grabbed the first of the four manila envelopes, the one that carried the official mark of the FBI, and he opened that one first. What he found inside was a surprise. First and foremost was a note from Aaron that simply said he was asked if he could pass this along, since no one had any current contact information for him and no one on the team was giving it out. He set the short note aside and looked at the documents it came with. The more he read, the bigger his eyes got. “Well, hell.”

“What is it?” Remy asked. He’d just come back over with a glass of iced tea that he set down on the coffee table by Spencer. Then he took the seat beside him, unashamedly leaning to look at the letter.

Instead of leaning away, Spencer actually turned it a little, giving Remy easier access to read it. At the same time, he explained it. Not just to Remy but to Alex as well, who was in the kitchen prepping things for dinner. “When I resigned from the Bureau, I agreed to come in and do guest lectures if available, but nothing else. This…this is an offer to put me on the payroll at the New York field office to act as a consultant. They don’t have their own profilers there and Strauss says that they’re interested in having someone nearby that they can call on if they need to. Someone who can either help, or who can advise them to call in a full BAU team. Also someone that the field office could send to local PD’s to work in the same capacity if needed.”

“So, you’d basically be doing your old job?” Alex called out, raising his voice to be heard over the water he was running.

Spencer shook his head. “No, not quite. It says here that they might want me to consult on other things in my field. That means they could call me in for something with, say, cryptography, or to work up a geographical profile, or even to advise them on interrogation if they really wanted. They could call me in to consult on anything. But it wouldn’t be full time like it was while I was at the BAU. This would be a case to case basis and I’d have the right to turn any away, she says.”

Leaning over, Remy put his finger on the page, pointing out one spot. “Says here dat she understands dat y’r starting a family and y’ don’t want full time work. Dey just want to basically put y’ on deir list of consultants dere so dey have de opportunity to call on y’ if dey need.” He pulled his finger away and looked up at Spencer. “It sounds perfect fo’ y, cher. It aint full time, aint somet’ing dat’s gonna take y’ away all de time, an it’s somet’ing y’ could do while still working if y’ wanted.”

“Definitely sounds like something worth thinking about.” Alex chimed in. He carried his pot of water over to the stove and put it on to boil before turning his attention fully towards them. “You should see what else you have first, though, so you know all of what you’ve got. What else do you got over there?”

He set the FBI papers down and picked up the next envelope. Catching the look on Remy’s face, he rolled his eyes before nodding his head. He had to chuckle when Remy quickly snatched up one of the other envelopes and quickly started to open it. Spencer read through his first, naturally, and his surprises seemed to just keep going. “This one’s from NYU.” He stared down at it, still stunned by what he’d read. “They’re offering me different things. There’s an open position in their Mathematics department, and in their Psychology department. The one in the Psychology department would be for forensic psychology. Their offer…they want to add on a whole new class—Psychology of Criminal Behavior—and they want me to teach it.”

“Dis one’s from John Jay College,” Remy read out. “An dey’re offering fo’ y’ to teach in de same class. It’s a shared position, though. They’ve already got a professor dere but dey really want y’, it seems, and dey’re willing to split up de classes.”

“One part time, then, and one full time.” Alex summed up. He was moving again, stirring whatever was in his pot before putting a lid on it and turning it down on low. Next he moved over to grab the wok off the top of the fridge where they stored it. “I guess it depends on how much work you want to do, pidge. Are you looking for full time work or are you looking to do part time stuff?”

“I don’t know.” Spencer shrugged one shoulder, his eyes still locked on the papers in front of him. “I know I don’t want to _not_ work, but I don’t want to turn over the raising of this child to a stranger. I don’t want to be an absent parent with a child who ends up closer with the nanny than anyone else.”

Remy reached over to rub his hand soothingly over Spencer's leg. “Plenty of parents out dere work, cher. We’ll make it work whatever y’ need to do. Go on an tell us about dat one, de one at NYU. Dat sounds like a hell of a position. A new class made just fo’ y’.”

“It says I could start in the fall if I wanted, or take the time and wait until spring to start. But they’re offering quite a bit of flexibility in the contract.” His eyes scanned over what they were offering, hitting the words that spoke of tenure, of what they’d expect and what they wanted, plus what they were willing to offer. “It looks like I’d start out with just one to two courses a semester. The new class, this Psychology of Criminal Behavior, and then if I’m willing, there’s other courses I could take on. Surprisingly, they’re willing to actually allow me this single course for now. It’d make it part time, just like the other, but I think I’d like that. I’d get to work while still getting time for my family.”

“Is teaching one class really gonna be enough for you?” Alex asked him. “Working just one day a week for a few hours?”

The question made Spencer laugh. He finally looked up to smile at his brother. “It’d be a little more work than that, Lex. And they’re proposing the class be two days a week, not one. So there’d be time actually spent in the classroom, class preparation, putting together and grading the exams, papers and other assignments, plus the office hours set up to be able to meet with students outside the classroom. Then there are faculty and committee meetings. Plus, most colleges require that you stay abreast of things in your field of work and that you’re published, so I’ll have to take time for research and writing.” He glanced away from Alex’s surprised face to glance through his papers once more. “They don’t mention any research projects in here, so I assume that it’s not expected of me, though most professors do work towards that.”

“Wow. I didn’t stop to t’ink about how much dere was to it.” Remy said with surprise.

Spencer smiled and reached out to lay his hand over Remy’s, which was still rubbing lightly at his leg. “Most people really don’t. But I spent enough time in college to understand quite a bit of it. I had a pretty good idea what I’d be getting into when I started putting out applications.”

“Do they discuss salary in either of those envelopes?” Alex asked him.

“I don’t know.” Spencer admitted. He hadn’t thought to look for that. He looked back down at his papers, scanning them to see if they did carry that information there. “I’m not altogether worried about the money, though. I have money. That’s never been an issue. I choose to work because I want to, not because I have to. If I wanted, I could stay home full time and still be fine.”

He didn’t really think anything of his words at first. Not until he looked back up and found both Alex and Remy staring at him with curious looks on their faces. It was Alex, of course, who asked the blunt question “Just how much money do you have, pidge?”

“That’s a rather personal question.” Spencer looked up and arched an eyebrow at him in what he would’ve been horrified to learn made him look quite a bit like Scott. “It’s also none of your business, Alexander Summers. Suffice it to say that I’ve invested well over the years.” He knew that Alex wouldn’t just leave it at that, though, and if he wanted to cut off this conversation he was going to have to do something else. Luckily, it was something he’d been planning on doing anyways. He gathered up all his papers and held them in one hand while he scooted himself forward. Getting up wasn’t the easiest thing for him anymore—he’d always been slightly klutzy and having a big belly wasn’t helping at all—so he was grateful for the hand Remy offered him. He braced on that and leveraged himself up to his feet. Once there, he smoothed out his shirt. “How much time is left until dinner?”

“About another twenty minutes.” Alex said. “But…”

Spencer cut him off before he could get going. “Good. I’m going to go down and take a quick shower. I should be back in just enough time for dinner.” And before Alex could say another word, Spencer took off down the hall towards the bathroom.

For a moment Alex just stared after him. Then, smiling, he shook his head. “Well I guess that subject’s closed.”

“Y’ t’ink?” Remy said dryly.

“Shut up. Get over here and make yourself useful, Cajun. Come chop up some vegetables for me.”

Remy gave a dramatic sigh as he pushed himself up off the couch. “ _Fine_.” He stretched the word out, using his most beleaguered tone, but the hint of a smile on his lips gave him away and had Alex chuckling. Remy let his smile grow. Snagging the glass of iced tea that Spencer hadn’t touched, he went over to the kitchen to help Alex chop up vegetables for dinner, amused at himself for just how domestic he’d become lately. Who would’ve ever pictured a domesticated Gambit? Certainly not him! Yet, oddly enough, he didn’t mind. No, he didn’t mind at all.


	14. Chapter 14

By the time dinner was finished and the dishes washed, Remy could easily see just how tired Spencer was. It showed in the slight heaviness to his eyes and the aching way he moved. Today had been a long, busy day for him and it was starting to show. But Remy knew that Spencer wouldn’t just accept the idea to go back to bed. Not that straightforward, at least. That meant Remy was going to have to get him back there in a more roundabout way. Luckily, he’d grown pretty talented at doing this over the past few weeks.

He caught Spencer before he could slip down onto the couch and suggested “Why don’t we gather up all y’r papers an go on back to our room an spread t’ings out, take a look at em?” Smiling charmingly, he added “We can stretch out on de bed to look at t’ings and I’ll rub y’r feet fo’ y’.”

It was the foot rub that had Spencer agreeing. The way his electric eyes lit up at that suggestion had Remy smothering a smile. They exchanged a brief goodnight with Alex, who was settling down with a game controller on the couch, and then headed back to their room. Remy could hear the sounds of COD starting up on the TV behind them before he shut the door and the sound cut off. He turned away from the door and the sight he found waiting for him had a smile curving his lips. Spencer had just pulled his sweater off and was working on taking off his t-shirt now as well. As always, a part of Remy gave a happy little hum at the view. How could he not enjoy all that exposed skin? Even before they’d slept together, he’d always found Spencer to be attractive, and he found him only more so now that he knew exactly what that body felt like. Granted, they hadn’t done anything more than cuddle or kiss since he’d arrived here, but he remembered every moment of that night clearly. The details had played in his mind time and time again.

Spencer turned to toss his shirt in the hamper and caught Remy staring at him with a smile on his lips that left on doubt as to what his thoughts were. Almost instantly his cheeks filled with color. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?” Remy asked innocently.

“Stop staring at me like that.”

“Why shouldn’t I look at y’? Y’r gorgeous.”

The color in Spencer's cheeks grew. One of his hands went to his stomach, rubbing over it in a gesture that Remy knew was more self-soothing than anything else. “I highly doubt that. I look like I’ve swallowed a basketball, my bellybutton has decided to pop, I’ve got _stretch marks,_ and my ankles feel about twice their size. Gorgeous is not exactly the word I’d use here.”

Remy closed the little bit of distance between them and reached out to tuck some of Spencer's hair behind his ear so he could better see his face. Then he cupped Spencer's cheek and tilted his face up until their eyes met. “Y’r gorgeous to me, cher. Always.”

“You’re biased.” Spencer murmured. He leaned in to Remy’s hand, though, almost rubbing his cheek against it.

Chuckling, Remy nodded. “ _Oui_ , dat I am.” That said, he bent down and captured Spencer's lips in a kiss that was soft and sweet and warmed them both. He had to force himself to break away after a bit. He knew that Spencer didn’t feel up to much anything else. All the extra hormones in his body made things run just a little differently for him and while sometimes it left him more sensitive than normal, other times it left him _too_ sensitive. Hence why they hadn’t really tried to push it any further. Remy was content to wait.

But Spencer didn’t let him pull away. He brought his free hand up and curled it around the back of Remy’s neck, pulling him in for another kiss, and he took a step forward until their bodies brushed together. Remy was no fool. He didn’t question it, didn’t pull back, he just poured himself into the kiss, his free hand coming out to rest on Spencer's hip. He lightly stroked the skin there and felt Spencer shiver against him. Warm, heavy emotions brushed over Remy and he opened himself up, letting them in. The feel of Spencer's love and lust slipping into him had him gasping. The lust, he’d felt before, but the love…this was what Spencer felt for him? This? This great, vast, beautiful thing?

He felt Spencer gasp as well and their kiss broke. The two opened their eyes and they stood there, just inches apart, staring at one another. The lust slowly faded but the love grew stronger. Not just Spencer's, but Remy’s, too. By opening himself up to feel Spencer, he’d also opened himself up for Spencer to feel him. In that moment there were no barriers between them. Nothing standing in the way of pure, honest emotion. Remy watched as the awe in Spencer's eyes grew and as the electricity in them seemed to fire off in a fireworks show that he thought he could spend a lifetime watching. A light sheen of tears only made the fireworks seem to sparkle even more. Remy moved the hand that was cupping Spencer's cheek just enough that he could use his thumb to swipe at the tear that slipped free. He said nothing about it. He knew how much it bothered Spencer that his emotions were so much closer to the surface these days. His empathy seemed to put his emotions in the extremes these days.

Neither one said a word yet they moved at the same time. Remy drew Spencer in and Spencer leaned close until they were pressed together as best as could be with his stomach between them. They stood there together for who knows how long, not a word exchanged between them, but so much was said in their emotions. So many things passed between them. They might’ve stood there for quite a while longer if one small thing hadn’t broken the moment.

Remy felt discomfort slip into his partner and he realized that Spencer had been aching when they’d come back here. That was half the reason they had come back here to begin with. Just standing here like this probably wasn’t helping. “ _Désolé, mon amour_.” He murmured, pressing a soft kiss against Spencer's hair. “I fo’got how much y’r aching. Let’s get y’ sitting down, yeah?”

He felt the discomfort grow a little and just a tiny hint of embarrassment slip in. “It’s not that.” Spencer kept his head turned down even as he pulled back.

Remy furrowed his eyebrows in concern. “Den what’s wrong?”

There was a small pause and then Spencer blew out a breath and looked up at Remy with a wry amusement written on his face. “Nothing’s wrong. I just need to go use the restroom.”

“Ahh.” Realization hit and Remy smothered a smile. The further along Spencer got, the more often he made his trips down to the bathroom. “Go on, den. I’ll get us set up in here.”

Spencer snagged a shirt on his way towards the door—one of Remy’s shirts—and he pulled it on before he left the room. He rarely went anywhere without his stomach being covered.

The little bit of time apart settled them both down and brought them back more towards normal. By the time Spencer came back into the room, the intensity of their emotions had evened back out to normal again and they were both relaxed enough that they could smile at one another. Remy had things set up on the bed for them, both his laptop and the job offers that Spencer had gotten today, and he had the pillows propped up against the headboard waiting for Spencer. “C’mon, _bébé_. Let’s get dis started.”

In short order they had Spencer seated on the bed, propped up against the pillows, and Remy was down by his feet with a pillow in his lap and Spencer's feet on that pillow. He pulled off the mismatched socks with amusement and then picked up his right foot. It only took a few seconds before Spencer was closing his eyes and sighing happily. “You have absolutely wonderful hands.” He said. One eye peeked open and he quickly added on “And don’t you dare turn that dirty.”

Remy grinned broadly at him, unashamed. “Who, me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll let dat one slide. Let’s get down to business, _oui_? Which one y’ wanna talk about first? Work or home?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Spencer said with a shrug. “Either one.”

Rolling his eyes, Remy dug his thumb into the arch of Spencer's foot, watching as the man dropped his head back from the feeling. “Y’r so decisive dere, _mon amour_.”

Spencer didn’t even protest it. He just kept his head back against the headboard, eyes closed, and smiled.

“Brat.” Remy teased. He was smiling, though. “All right. Well, we need to know about work to figure out where to look fo’ a home, so I guess we need to talk about work first, yeah? Den again, it aint like I don’t already know what y’r gonna to pick.”

“What?” That had Spencer looking up and opening his eyes. Surprise was on his face. “What do you mean?”

“Spencer, I’ve known y’ fo’ how long now? It aint dat hard to figure out what y’r gonna do here. Besides, I saw y’ out dere. I saw how interested y’ was wit’ de offer from NYU. It’s a good offer, too. I looked it over when I set it out here. Between dat and de consulting gig wit’ de Bureau, y’d be set to go an still have plenty of free time fo’ family, which I know is important to y’.” He smirked at the way Spencer was just gaping at him. “What? Y’ been m’ best friend fo’ a long time now. I know y’.”

“I’m not sure whether to be impressed or slightly scared.”

“Both, cher. Both.” Remy said with a wink. “Now, why don’t y’ go on and open up de laptop an we’ll see what we can find fo’ housing dat aint dat far between NYU and de Mansion.”

Spencer pushed the laptop open with one hand while his other rubbed at his stomach in what Remy had noticed had become a sort of nervous gesture lately. “You really don’t mind commuting?” He asked.

“I don’t mind none. Like driving, me. Y’ know dat.”

“Won’t it make things more difficult for training and missions, though?”

“Why?” Remy looked up as he slid his hands up to Spencer's ankle. “Scotty can just schedule me in fo’ afternoon training sessions instead of early morning ones. As fo’ missions, well, dat’s why we find a place dat’s an easy commute to both. ‘Sides, it won’t kill em to give me a half hour notice. I want our own place, _mon amour._ Between y’r money and mine, we aint gotta settle fo’ not’ing. We can get a nice place in a nice neighborhood dat we like.”

“Why do I have a feeling I’m going to be looking at rather expensive places?” Spencer asked dryly.

The dry tone got Remy’s back up just slightly. “Why shouldn’t we look at de nicer places?”

His defensive tone got him a strange look from Spencer. “Calm down, Remy. I wasn’t complaining. I always tease you about having expensive taste.” He said. His eyes flickered up to Remy’s face briefly and they were crackling with the bit of power he was channeling. He was tapping directly into the electricity for the laptop and running it that way instead of reaching out to use the mouse.

Remy shrugged suddenly tense shoulders and dropped his gaze down briefly. “I spent a good part of m’ childhood in shitholes and on de streets. I always told m’self when I grew up I was gonna have a nice house.”

“And we will.” Spencer said softly.

That soft, gentle tone was enough to draw Remy’s gave up once more. He found Spencer looking at him with those electric eyes of his so full of understanding and love that it wiped away his tension. The two shared a smile between them. He should’ve figured that Spencer would understand. He shouldn’t have gotten so defensive about it. Relaxed again, he used his chin to gesture to the laptop screen. “Let’s put in de search filters. De place should have plenty of rooms. We’ll need enough rooms fo’ an office fo’ y’. Y’ll need a place to work at home.”

“We can narrow it down to certain areas on the map.” Spencer told him. “Pick the neighborhoods we want and exclude the ones we don’t.”

They spent a few minutes picking their way through the filters and then Spencer started the search. It didn’t escape Remy’s notice that Spencer already had a profile set up on this website. Apparently he’d been looking already. Remy said nothing about it, though, just smile to himself as he put Spencer's right foot down and moved on to the left. His hands moved almost automatically, most of his attention coming up to focus on the list of potential houses and townhomes that popped up. He leaned in just slightly to better be able to read it and the two of them started to make their way down the list.

Some places were excluded for important reasons, logical ones, like Remy’s warnings about the crime in that area. On others, well, Remy was beginning to see that this was one area Spencer was definitely _not_ going to make it easy on him.

“Remy,” Spencer said with a shake of his head when Remy pointed out a place on the list. “That place has _six_ bedrooms, _plus_ an office!”

“ _Oui_. Dat leaves plenty of space if we ever want more kids.” He would’ve figured that Spencer would’ve thought of that. Eyes focused on the computer screen, he missed the stunned look on Spencer's face. He saw the next one on the list and reached out, tapping a few keys until it opened on the screen. “Look at dis place, Spencer. De top level has its own little kitchen, bathroom, even a livin’ room.”

Still slightly stunned from Remy’s pervious comment, Spencer was a little slow to respond, but he finally managed to ask “Why would we need that?”

“Well we already knew we was gonna have to hire a nanny. An wit’ my strange hours and wit’ y’ maybe consulting wit’ de Bureau, we need someone dat can be dere at any time, _oui_? So what better way to do it dan to give dem deir own place in our home?”

“You want to trust someone to stay in our _home_?”

Remy looked up and raised his eyebrows at what he considered a ridiculous question. “If we’re trusting dem wit’ our child, shouldn’t we trust dem in our home?”

Spencer had the grace to look a little embarrassed by that question. He sighed and waved a hand in the air. “I know, I know. I’m just, I’m nervous about that part.”

“Psh.” Remy scoffed. His mouth curved up into a mischievous smirk. “Y’ know as well as I do dat Garcia’s gonna run an in depth check on whoever we’re looking at. Dat girl can dig up more dirt dan I can! If dey pass her test, dat’s gonna be good enough fo’ me.” He paused long enough to let Spencer laugh and then he asked, “So, what do y’ t’ink of it?”

“It?” Spencer looked confused for a second before it hit him. “Oh, the house. Oh.” Immediately his eyes turned back to the screen and scanned over it with the speed that never failed to amaze his partner. Years of seeing Spencer read that fast hadn’t completely dulled the awe factor that came from watching him. Spencer read it all through and then he looked back up at Remy with wide eyes. “Remy, that has _ten_ bedrooms. Nine, if we take away the bedroom on the top level and give it to a Nanny. What exactly are you trying to tell me here?”

“Well, one of dem could be y’r office, _oui_?” Remy said, neatly skirting the issue. He turned his head just enough that his hair nicely shielded his face and kept his smile hidden from view. “An one could be a playroom, full of toys.”

“That still leaves seven rooms.” Spencer pointed out.

“One of which would be ours.”

“Six.”

“Dat sounds like a nice number.” Remy said. He snuck a look up through his hair, highly amused by the surprise written clearly on Spencer's face.

“Six?” Spencer repeated. “ _Six_?”

Remy shrugged one shoulder. “Always wanted a big family, me.” Too amused to keep going, he turned back to the monitor, trying not to look at Spencer's face for fear of laughing. “Oh, look at dis place, cher! Dis looks like another nice one. Dere’s so many nice places on here.”

“Remy, there are statue on the front porch. Marble statues. And it has _columns._ ” On the last word, Spencer's voice actually squeaked a little.

Okay, now this was getting to be too easy and way too much fun. Remy just couldn’t resist tweaking Spencer when he got like this. It was always good for a laugh. The best part was that Spencer knew Remy liked to wind him up, probably even knew that that’s what Remy was doing right now, and yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself from responding to it each and every time. “Y’ got somet’ing against columns, cher?” Remy asked.

“I have something against living in a marble mansion. Besides, look at that yard. Have you ever used a lawn mower? Because I sure haven’t.”

Of course he had. He knew that Spencer knew it. They both knew that Remy had done his fair share of manual labor over the years. But their house hunt here had turned into half serious, half play, and Remy couldn’t help but play into it even more. “I could learn!”

“Right. Keep looking, Rem.”

They scrolled through a few more, adding some to their ‘maybe’ list, debating over others. Their opinions on a lot of things meshed together but there were quite a few areas that they varied in what they liked and they had no qualms arguing about it with each other. They were down to the bottom when Remy saw another one that looked good. “Well look at dis one here. It’s single story, so y’ aint got all dem stairs. It’s kinda homey looking, _mais_ it’s nice too, an it’s got a pool in de back. An look! A separate little place in de backyard where we could house de nanny if we wanted.”

“God, we sound pretentious.” Spencer murmured.

“Just look at it, Spencer. Look! Dey got a wall dat separates de dining room and de living room wit’ a shared fireplace. Aint dat cool? An it aint all marble on de inside. It’s got nice, friendly colors an warm woods.”

“I’ll put it on the list, then.”

“Sweet.”

The room went quiet for a second as Spencer navigated to their ‘saved’ screen that showed all the houses they’d found that they thought had potential. “We’ve got a few on here to look at. How do you want to do this? Do you want to fly out there and take a look for us?”

For them? As in, by himself? Remy shook his head. “Wit’out y’? _Non_.”

“We could always send Alex to look for us. He’s got a good eye for real estate.”

“Really?”

Spencer chuckled at the startled tone to Remy’s words. “Yeah. You should hear him and Morgan when they get into talking about houses. Alex is quite a bit smarter than he likes to let on. He’s not the musclebound jock he pretends to be.”

“I shoulda figured he’d know houses. He’s a damn good builder.” Remy admitted. “If y’ t’ink he’ll go fo’ it, it sounds good to me. I trust de man.”

“I’ll ask him then.” Spencer said. He turned his attention back to the laptop and made sure that all their choices were saved on the profile so he could access it later. Looking through them, he realized something. “You realize these are all actual houses?”

Remy nodded at him. “ _Oui_.”

“So you want a house over a townhome? I thought for sure you’d want to be in town around other people.”

“Meh.” He shrugged one shoulder and finally pulled back from Spencer's feet. He carefully set them down and then took the pillow from his lap and tossed it over to the chair by the far wall. “We’d be close enough to town. I like being close to people _mais_ I like having a private place to go dat I can hide out if I want. An y’ need a place dat y’ can relax wit’out y’r empathy picking up on everyone next door. Townhomes always have neighbors and such and y’d never be able to really let y’r guard down dere. Y’ should be able to relax y’r shields in y’r own home.”

For a moment Spencer just sat there and looked at him with an expression that Remy could only label as fond. Finally, he said “You’re a good man, Remy.”

“I am, aint I?’ Remy said cheekily.

Laughing, Spencer kicked lightly at him. “Egotist.”

Remy pushed off the bed and flowed forward to lay down between Spencer's legs, his head going to the man’s thigh, his cheek right up against the swell of Spencer's belly. He fluttered his lashes up at him and smiled. “An I’m all y’rs.”

“Oh lucky day.” Spencer said teasingly. But he lowered a hand down, letting it rest in Remy’s hair, and his expression was full of love. Remy smiled and snuggled in, his own body relaxing now as he felt Spencer's hand stroking through his hair and the occasional kick fluttering around in the stomach by his face. He was here with the two most important people in his life and, at the moment, life couldn’t be better.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, I know. And, ah, please don't kill me, s'il vous plait....

The closer they got to the end of Spencer's pregnancy, the more that chaos seemed to grow. There were so many things that had to be taken care of. A home and work weren’t the only important things. They also needed things for the baby once it was born. A bed, clothes, diapers, all of those essential items that Spencer had never before had to worry about buying. He found himself on the phone with JJ almost every day as he moved into his seventh month of pregnancy. He consulted her on almost everything and she was wonderful about it. Not once did she get frustrated with him. She even came out for a weekend, with Will and Henry of course, and helped Spencer to shop.

That was about the time that Alex took his trip to New York to go and look at their list of homes for them, too. He had been perfectly happy to go out for them. The fact that they were trusting him to help them find a home actually seemed to puff him up a little. Spencer knew the man was mostly happy for something to do. Alex liked to be doing things. He wasn’t one that was good at sitting around and waiting and that was what this was all starting to turn into. One big ‘sit down and wait’. Life here was only temporary for them, they weren’t trying to put down roots in Flagstaff, and they all sort of felt like their lives were on pause until this child was born. Once the baby was here, they would go to New York and get settled in and actually start their lives. It was terrifying and thrilling all at the same time.

Little by little, bit by bit, they were getting this together, and Spencer couldn’t believe how much his life was changing. Yet he found himself just as excited as he was afraid by it all. He was going to be a parent. A _father_. Soon, his little one would be here, and God help them, he and Remy would be responsible for this little life.

Spencer often found himself wondering what the child would look like. Would it take after him, or Remy? Would it have Remy’s eyes? Or his eyes? Or eyes uniquely its own? Would it be a boy, or a girl? He painted countless pictures in his mind about what their child would look like and he knew Remy did the same thing.

As the seventh month turned into the eight, Spencer mourned the fact that he could no longer see his feet. He looked down and all he could see was belly. Anything below that was out of sight. Other things had changed, too. He could no longer get up off the couch without it becoming a joint effort between him, Remy, and the arm of the couch. His sensitivity to smell had seemed to return, too, and they’d already had to throw out three different bottles of body wash after Spencer threw up at just the smallest whiff of them. In return, though, his appetite seemed to have exploded and he was almost constantly munching on something. Dr. Nu said it was because his powers were reacting to his pregnancy and he was burning off constant energy, so his body was seeking to replenish it with food.

Honey and River both seemed to love it. They brought him food and kept him stocked in snacks while he was at work—and yes, he was still working. He wasn’t going to stop until his ninth month when Dr. Nu wanted him on bed rest. Male carriers had to be carefully watched at the end, she warned him. They wanted the baby to stay in to term if possible but they had to be on watch and prepared in case it didn’t. Because a C-section was the only option for a birth like this. If he went into labor and he wasn’t in a place where he could get to a doctor, there was no emergency deliveries in cars or such. It could kill him and the child both. The idea of bed rest wasn’t exactly appealing but it was far better than that alternative.

They had a plan all in place. One that they’d worked on together—he, Remy, Alex, Dr. Nu, and even Scott—and that covered as much as they could. Scott was going to come out for the final month and he was going to stay with them. Between the three men, they all had their duties assigned to each other. They knew who was going to call who when the time came, who was in charge of driving, who was in charge of making sure their stuff got in the car, all of it was planned out to the last detail. Spencer, of course, was given one assignment—stay in bed. That was the extent of what he was going to be able to do.

When Spencer was out of earshot, Alex had patted Remy on the shoulder and gave him a sad look, telling him “I don’t envy you your job. Yours is the hardest of all, Rem. You get to entertain a bored Spencer.”

That was a job no one wanted. A bored Spencer was often a cranky, dangerous Spencer, and bed rest was one of the single most boring things that Spencer had ever gone through.

He’d been stuck in bed before, of course, but not like this. All the times previously he’d been sick, or injured, and getting up and around hadn’t really been an option. He wasn’t sick or injured right now. He was just pregnant. That shouldn’t be any cause to be stuck in bed, right? Oh, sure, he understood why they were doing it. They didn’t want to stress his body, a body that technically shouldn’t be able to even carry a child, and cause any troubles. They didn’t want to him to go into labor too early. “We want that baby to stay in there as close to term as possible.” Dr. Nu had told him. “Male carriers seemed to go either one of two routes. They either deliver far too early, or we have to end up just scheduling the delivery because their bodies don’t seem to go into regular labor. The second option is obviously the better of the two. Then we know the baby is as healthy as can be and it’s all done on a good schedule. Since this is your first, we don’t know which way you’re going to go, and we want to avoid that first option if at all possible.”

But a mind like Spencer's wasn’t exactly built to be idle. He needed things to do to keep him from slowly starting to go insane. Reading was only a momentary distraction when one had the capability to read twenty thousand words a minute and had already read everything in the house. Netflix helped him; Remy set it up on the TV in the bedroom for him. Hours of Doctor Who right there at his fingertips for him to watch was a bonus. But there was a reason he avoided technology. Too much of it around him and he found himself tempted to play with the electricity in it. With as edgy as his powers were becoming, he was finding himself doing things he hadn’t done since his powers first manifested. Sometimes he’d be lying there, propped up on his pillows, and he wouldn’t even notice the little balls of electricity that he would be making dance through the air. Poor Remy had made the mistake of reaching out to touch him once without looking first and he ended up lying back, essentially Tasered by that single touch.

There were card games aplenty that ended up being played. Spencer wrote more on his story than he’d managed to write in quite a while. He and Remy did some online shopping, too, ordering some things they still needed. And, of course, they finalized some of their bigger decisions. Spencer sent in his counter-offer to both the Bureau and NYU. As he told Remy, never accept an offer straight out, always try and angle for things to be just a bit more to your liking. There was always a compromise to be found between the two points in the end.

They also made their decision on which house they wanted, based off of Alex’s opinion on the places and their own personal preference. Scott, Alex, Remy and Spencer all sat down together and talked about it the one day with the brothers there just to give their input. Spencer and Remy both loved one of the houses in particular but Spencer felt a bit pretentious at the idea of taking it, considering it was completely gated off with a front gate that required a code to enter. “We’re not celebrities.” He protested. “We don’t need that kind of security.”

“Are you kidding me?” Scott demanded. “With your years at the Bureau, the work you still plan on doing for them, and with as many enemies as Remy’s built up over the years, you probably need _more_ security. A gate like this isn’t pretentious, Sherlock. It’s practical.”

That was a point that Spencer had to concede. That was how he and Remy ended up the proud owners of a private, secure single story six bedroom home—plus a library _and_ an office already there—with a big backyard pool and a separate guesthouse in the backyard. It was the place that Remy had so enjoyed when they’d first started looking, the one with the wall that shared a fireplace, separating the living room from the dining room.

Once Dr. Nu set a tentative date for when she’d like to bring him in for his C-section, it allowed them to start making their own plans, too. One of which was getting their new house in order. That, surprisingly, was being taken care of by his friends. It was Remy who spoke with the BAU team and started that plan going. Not all of them were sure if they’d be able to make it out for the actual delivery of the child so they all decided to work on a compromise. Remy started having their personal items shipped out to the house through a delivery company he trusted and the BAU team was going to take off a weekend around the time of the baby’s delivery to go out to the house and put things together. Set up basic furniture, get things put into the baby’s room, all of that important stuff. Spencer had no real care where furniture went, Remy knew, so long as it was there for him to use, so they didn’t have to worry about consulting him, and Remy set it up with Penelope so that when it came time he’d easily be able to web chat with her and help advise them if needed.

They tried to plan for pretty much any eventuality that they might come across. They should’ve known that nothing was going to go according to their plan.

Spencer was at thirty five weeks when their plan was thrown right out the window.

CXCX

A sigh slid from Spencer as he shifted around in bed and carefully rolled himself to rest more on his left side than his right. He resisted the urge to add a few curses to that sight. As if in commiseration, he felt the baby shift and roll inside of him before giving a particularly nasty little kick. Spencer grunted from it and rubbed a hand over his stomach. “I know, I know.” He murmured. With no one else in the room to hear him, he didn’t stop the urge to talk to his stomach, something that he wouldn’t dare do in front of the others for fear of being teased. It was a silly thing to do, he knew, but he found himself doing it nonetheless. “Just a little while longer, bean.”

The nickname of ‘bean’ had been started by Remy, who claimed he had to call it something other than baby or fetus and, since they didn’t know the gender, he couldn’t just call it by a regular name. Bean was a neutral nickname, he said, and he stuck with it.

Spencer didn’t tell anyone, but he was almost positive that it was a girl. He couldn’t say why; he just was. There was nothing to back it up, no logical reason for it, and so he kept the opinion to himself. But when he thought of the child, when he pictured it anymore, it was a little girl he saw. That was how he thought of her all the time now—as a _her_.

The bedroom door opened then and Remy stuck his head inside. When he saw that Spencer was awake—he’d been sleeping earlier when Remy had left to go talk to Alex and Scott—he smiled. “Well look who’s awake. Hey dere, _mon cœur_. How y’ feeling?”

“Large.” Spencer answered promptly. “Achy. Tired, yet awake. Hungry. Take your pick.”

Remy wasn’t the least bit bothered by the slightly snippy tone. He actually grinned at him. “It’s y’r lucky day, den. Alex and Scotty are gonna go on out and pick up some dinner. I was just coming back to see what y’ wanted.”

That didn’t take any thought. “Arby’s. I want an Arby’s sandwich with some mozzarella sticks and a Jamocha shake.”

“Y’ know de boys aint gonna let y’ get a Jamocha shake.” Remy pointed out. He didn’t give Spencer time to build up a pout, though. “Don’t y’ worry. Dey might not let y’ have one, _mais_ dey’ll let Remy, an he don’t mind sharing.” He gave Spencer a wink before slipping back out of the room and shutting the door.

Spencer smiled happily to himself. He took love and thanks and concentrated briefly to send them out to Remy, which got him a wave of love in return. Snuggling down into the bed, he sighed happily and let his eyes slip closed. Maybe he’d just rest a little bit while he waited for them to get back.

CXCX

Out in the living room, Remy felt his lover’s emotions settle down into the familiar patterns of sleep and he smiled to himself. Good. Sleep would help. Spencer didn’t exactly have the most regular sleep patterns lately. Bean seemed to like to be active at night and keep him up. With him being stuck on bed rest, that meant that Spencer was essentially stuck wide awake in bed all night long with nothing to do, because the fool would never wake Remy up during those times. Nor would he turn on the TV or anything out of respect for the man sleeping with him. Come morning, Remy would wake up and find an exhausted Spencer sitting there, something just staring into space, sometimes just rubbing at his stomach to try and soothe the kicking.

After double checking to make sure the doors were locked, Remy decided to head on down to the bedroom to curl up with Spencer for a little bit. His partner usually slept better when there was someone there with him. Plus, his empathy seemed to ease a little lately if Remy was close to him. They weren’t quite sure why that was, but they spent too long apart and Spencer started to get edgy and his empathy would get a little, _loose_ was the word Spencer used to describe it.

He was just starting to head that way when he felt it. Spencer's emotions changed abruptly, jerking from asleep to awake in a flash, and then there came a wave of fear and an all too familiar sensation in the air. A sort of energy crackle that was unique to one thing and one thing only—Spencer's electricity. Instinct had Remy reacting and running before he’d even really thought about it. But he was too late. Just a few short seconds before he made it to the bedroom and was throwing the door open and yet it had been long enough. Just as he reached the door, the electricity and emotions cut off. Fear gripped Remy as he flung the door open—and found the bedroom empty.

Spencer was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

The only thing that kept Spencer from frying everyone and everything in sight was the fact that he was mostly asleep when the hands had grabbed him and woken him up. There hadn’t been enough time to work past the pain to fully react. All he’d been able to do was gather his electricity, not use it. Then he’d been yanked through something that a part of his brain recognized— _oh, God, oh God, oh God—_ and he lost his grip on that electricity. One look around him and he was scrambling to reach for it again. It wasn’t the place that scared him that much, though it was terrifying all on its own—it was the person standing on the far side of the room separated from him by a thick sheet of glass that scared him. Him, and the man who had dragged him here.

“Hello again, Dr. Summers.” Sinister said smoothly, cold eyes fixed on Spencer through the glass. “It has been a while.”

Victor Creed let go of Spencer with a snicker and stalked across the room. He was out the door there before Spencer even thought of moving. The door slid shut behind him and though there was no sound to tell him, he knew undoubtedly that the door would’ve locked behind him.

Spencer fought not to shiver at the sound of that voice. _No fear_ , his mind told him. _Show no fear. It won’t do any good whatsoever and might make it worse. Don’t deny it, but don’t let him see it._ He would not cow down before this man. He hadn’t the last time they’d met and he sure as hell wouldn’t now. He would be strong and he would be brave. Not for himself, but for the life under his hand which sat protectively over his . “If you remember, I go by Dr. Reid, not Dr. Summers.” He corrected in a voice that was just slightly tight.

The smile Sinister gave him lived up to his name. “I must admit, you’ll always be a Summers to me.”

And that was crux of it right there, he knew. That was the single most important thing to Sinister. The damn Summers genetics. It had been his reason for taking Spencer the last time—a genetic harvest, he’d called it—and there was no doubt it was at least partially to do with why he’d been taken this time. But Spencer was utterly terrified that he knew the main reason and that it had more to do with the life growing inside of him than with his own life. His fear was pushed down by a wave of protectiveness stronger than anything he’d ever felt before in his life. That sensation pushed the fear away and left room for anger to make its way in. It filled him, hardening his voice and giving it a sharp edge that was rarely ever there. “I won’t let you have her.” There was no point in pretending he didn’t know why he was here. He wasn’t going to play those games.

“I have no use for a squalling little brat.”

“Is that so?” Spencer's lip curled up and his eyes flashed dangerously. His free hand, the one not on his stomach, was held loosely near his side, ready for anything. “Then what is it you want with me?”

“Let’s just say that I find myself curious. The offspring you carry has a rather fascinating gene pool with which to build from. What it becomes shall be interesting to see.”

Spencer's eyes flashed even brighter than before. “I won’t let you lay a hand on her. I will level this place before I let you turn her into a test subject.”

His threat had no effect whatsoever. Sinister just continued to smile at him. He spoke as if they were simply two men having a casual, everyday discussion, not a mad scientist talking about studying the other’s child. “Come now.” Sinister said with a small shake of his head. “Are you reduced to threats already? You’re a doctor, a scientist. Think past your extra hormones and allow yourself to think about this logically. Are you really going to put you and your child at risk over something as simple as a bit of blood?”

“Do you really think I’m stupid enough to believe this is just about _blood_?” Spencer countered sharply. “If that was all you wanted, you could’ve done that at the hospital.”

“With X-Men and federal agents alike in attendance? Not to mention I’ve heard that there’s a certain thief that might make an appearance to meet his new grandchild.” Sinister shook his head. “No, it’s far simpler this way. It also allows me to ensure that this unexpected gift is successfully delivered. That hospital is not equipped to handle the extent to which I know your powers can reach.”

“And you are?”

“The room you’re in has been specially designed to withstand your powers.” Sinister gestured to the room around him with one hand and Spencer felt his stomach drop. “It will safely contain you until the child is born.”

 _Don’t think about that right now. Don’t think about the fact that you’re trapped. Gather information first; panic later._ “And you’re just going to let us go home afterwards, is that it?”

“Of course. As I said, what use have I of a squalling child?”

A sneer twisted Spencer's face. “You’d rather watch and manipulate from the sidelines.”

“True. That is my preference.” Sinister conceded the point with a nod.

This back and forth was getting him no more information. What it all boiled down to was that he was trapped here. Trapped in this Godforsaken room. Spencer knew that the likelihood of Sinister lying about the strength of the containment of this room was nonexistent. It wouldn’t stop him from testing it, of course. But he had no doubt he would find himself trapped. Trapped, with nothing but his powers to protect his child. Powers that Sinister was very much prepared for. “I meant what I said.” Spencer said. Words were all he had right now and he would use them. “Hurt my child and I swear to you…”

“What? Are you going to threaten to kill me, Doctor? How mundane. You wouldn’t be the first to make that threat, nor the last.”

“Never underestimate a parent protecting their child, Sinister.” Spencer warned him lowly. “I wouldn’t kill you. I wouldn’t let you off that easy. But I would make your life a living hell. You’ve studied my family; you’ve watched us over the years. I believe that you, more than anyone else, know what it is I’m capable of if truly pushed. You are probably the only person on the planet that could fathom the extent of my powers under the right circumstances. I promise you I will turn every inch of that power against you.”

“Duly noted. Now I suggest you get some rest, doctor. You were on bed rest, if I recall.” Sinister paused and his smile grew a little colder. “I would hate to have to send Creed in there to make sure you were behaving.” With that final threat, the man pressed a button and the glass separating them turned to a mirror, blocking Spencer's view out. He was alone. Alone in this sterile, white hospital room, under Sinister’s care, in who knew what facility. Spencer carefully sat down on the edge of the single bed in the room and he wrapped his arms loosely around his swollen stomach. “It’s going to be okay.” He murmured to his belly, eyes moving around the room as he took in every single detail, trying to find something that he could use, anything, to get him the hell out of here. “It’s going to be okay.”

CXCX

One whole week. The words practically snarled their way through Remy’s mind. One whole week had gone by since Spencer had been taken right out of his bedroom and they were no closer to finding him. There was nothing, _nothing_ , to tell them where he’d gone. No one had seen hide nor hair of him. The Professor had scanned with Cerebro and he hadn’t found any trace of him. Word had been put out everywhere and no one seemed to have heard anything.

They weren’t stupid. There was only one person that any of them could think of that would have the ability and the audacity to go right into the house and snatch Spencer that way. Sinister.

Remy had called every contact he had, was calling in practically every favor, and no one could seem to tell him just where the hell his partner was being held. Sinister had so many facilities that it was almost impossible to be able to just guess which one he was housing Spencer at. Remy was getting frustrated enough he was ready to start working his way down the list of ones that he knew and blasting his way through each and every one of them until he found him. Scott didn’t approve of that idea all that much when Remy brought it up. Alex, on the other hand, was all for it. “Let’s go.” He snarled out, looking deadlier than Remy had ever seen him before.

They were all gathered in the living room at Alex and Spencer's house. Alex had refused to go back to the mansion on the off chance that Spencer somehow managed to get back here. So they were currently housing quite a few X-Men in one small house. When Scott came, he’d brought quite a few reinforcements. Jean, Logan, Hank, Bobby, Rogue, Kurt. Bishop and Warren had stayed back at the house along with some of the younger members so that the house wasn’t completely unguarded.

“Oh, yeah, let’s just rush into _Sinister’s_ bases and start ripping things apart.” Rogue said sarcastically. “That’s a good way to get us killed.”

“Well I’m fucking tired of waiting around here!” Alex snapped back. “While we’re here debating this shit, that fucker has my baby brother off God-knows-where doing God-knows-what to him. Do you expect me to just sit on my ass and do _nothing_?”

“Alex!” Scott’s sharp voice had his brother’s head snapping towards him. “We’re not saying that we want to do nothing. We’re saying that we need to be safe and smart about what we do.”

Alex’s lip curled up and he sneered at his older brother. “When the hell did you turn into such a pansy ass? At one time you would’ve been right beside me, ready to go hunt him down. Remember that time in Mexico? What happened to that guy, huh? What happened to the guy who blasted down half a house just to get him back?”

“He grew up and got smarter!” Scott shot back.

“He turned into a fucking pussy, that’s what he did.”

Scott shot to his feet, temper written in every inch of him. He looked positively furious as he lifted a hand and pointed to the back of the house. “Outside. _Now_.” The snarled out ‘now’ cut off any protest that Alex might have made. The whole room watched as the two marched out back. The door slammed shut with a hard _crack_ behind them. There was only a second’s pause before muffled, obviously furious shouts could be heard, even if the words couldn’t be understood. The rest of the room all shifted around for a moment uncomfortably before Jean spoke up. “We need to think and plan. There’s got to be something we haven’t thought of yet. Is there anyone we haven’t called who might have some kind of information for us?”

Once more they started to go over the same information they’d gone over so many times this past week. Remy couldn’t stand it. He discreetly slid backwards, melting away from the group when no one was looking.

Five minutes later he stepped out of his and Spencer's room and onto the back porch with a backpack slung over his shoulders and his traveling clothes on. Scott and Alex were still back here arguing. They cut off, however, at the sound of his door, and both of them turned to look at him. Remy met their looks with a calm, steady stare. “Remy’s going.” He told them bluntly, not bothering to sugarcoat it. “Got a phone an Reny’ll call y’ if he finds anyt’ing.”

“Remy.” Scott looked and sounded frustrated.

Remy held up a hand to stop whatever speech he was going to give. He didn’t want to hear it. He hadn’t come back here for them to stop him. He’d come back to give Scott the courtesy of letting him know what he was doing and so he didn’t think that Remy had been taken, too. “Dis aint a debate. Y’ve had a week to do t’ings y’r way. Now Remy’s doing t’ings his way.”

“I’m coming with you.” Alex said quickly. He stepped away from Scott and moved over towards Remy. “You were gonna your bike?”

“ _Oui_.”

“We can take my car instead. We’ll need it when we find him.”

There was logic in that. Spencer wouldn’t be able to ride on any bike. Remy conceded the point easily enough. “ _Bien_.”

Alex nodded his head. “Give me three minutes and I’ll meet you out front.” With that, he shot into the house without a backwards glance at his brother, leaving Remy and Scott alone.

For a moment the two men just looked at one another. Remy could see the two parts of Scott warring with each other. The brother that wanted to race out and find Spencer and the team leader that wanted to do this the right way, the safe way. Finally he sighed and his body slumped slightly. “Be safe.”

“We’ll call y’ if we find anyt’ing.” Remy said by way of answer. Adjusting his bag on his shoulder, he went around the side of the house instead of through it. Alex was just coming out the front door when Remy got there. The two went to Alex’s car, neither one saying a word, and they quickly tossed their bags in the back. Alex tossed Remy his keys. Catching them one handed, Remy moved to the driver’s door. It was time to go find his man and bring him home.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left! I hope this one came out okay. I'm very nervous :P

Darkness sheltered two figures as they hid in the shadows of the forest. Up ahead of them sat what appeared to be an innocuous looking mountainside. Innocuous if not for the three cameras that Remy could spot and the hidden door he’d spotted just moments ago. He pointed them out to his companion with a small gesture of his hands. “Cameras. Dere, dere and dere.” He murmured lowly.

Alex scowled at where Remy pointed. “Damn. He’s got this place sealed up tight.”

It had taken them five days of talking to some rather nasty people and greasing more than a few palms before they’d found this place. The place that Remy was almost positive Sinister was holding Spencer at. If he’d been smart, he would’ve thought of this earlier, but as far as he had known this place had been shut down after a fight had caused some serious damage. He remembered it clearly, seeing as how he’d been one of the people fighting. Creed had been the other. They never really had gotten on well.

But it made perfect sense to keep Spencer here. This place was underground, which meant there was plenty of safe space for Spencer's electricity to go if needed, and it was out in the middle of nowhere so there were no external power sources outside of the facility. Only Sinister’s own personal power sources, whatever those may be.

“We need to call this in.” Alex said.

Remy reached down into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, tossing it over to Alex. “Y’ go right on ahead.” He started checking his pockets, making sure that he had some cards loose, and then he grabbed a ponytail and quickly pulled his hair back into a practical braid to keep it out of his face. Once that was in, he grabbed his gloves and slid them on his hands. He pulled his Bo out next and extended it. He was going to need it.

“Gambit!” Alex hissed. “What are you doing?”

“He’s been in dere alone fo’ almost two weeks—Remy aint letting him be alone a second longer dan he has to. Y’ go ahead and call in fo’ backup and get us a rescue team to get us de hell outta here. Remy’s going in after his man.” He gave a firm nod once everything was in place and then took a deep breath. “Tell dem to get deir asses here quick, _mon frère._ We’ll be waiting fo’ dem.” With that warning, he slipped out from the tree they were hiding by and moved over to the next one, one that brought him to a spot perfectly out of camera range.

“Dammit, you idiot Cajun. Be safe!”

Remy gave him a cocky, one fingered salute, and then he seemingly melted into the darkness.

CXCX

It was the pain that woke him. Over the past few weeks, Spencer had grown used to random pains. His back was a frequent one that woke him. For the past week and five days that he’d been here in Sinister’s labs, he’d woken plenty of times from paints, but he was always careful to stay still and quiet. The last thing he wanted was to encourage the man to come in here. Anything that kept them out of his room was a benefit. Sinister came in once a day to do a check up on him, since no machine could be hooked to Spencer without frying, and Victor came three times a day bearing food. The visits from Victor were the ones that got to Spencer the most. His hatred for Creed showed in every inch of him, he knew, and the feral man always had a laugh over it.

The pain grew a little stronger and Spencer came fully awake now. Very carefully he rolled over to his other side to try and relieve the pain by switching his position around. The rattle of chains had him grimacing. Sinister had been rather practical about how he kept Spencer in here. The room was insulated so that he couldn’t charge his way out of it, and he attached an shackle to Spencer's right ankle that allowed him enough movement to go to the bathroom and the bed and that was it. He was trapped. Well and truly trapped. He’d tried everything he could to break free, to pick the lock on his shackle, to do _anything_ , and nothing was working. He was stuck here with only hope to hold on to. Hope that Remy or his brothers would find him and bring him home.

Spencer sighed as the pain faded. He tried to relax enough to drift back to sleep. There was nothing for him to do in here, anyways.

He was almost asleep again when another pain hit. Spencer's eyes shot wide as he felt the tightness across his stomach. This wasn’t back pain that was waking him up. This was something else entirely.

No, no, no, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. “No, no, no.” Spencer stroked a hand over his stomach and tried to breathe carefully. No. This could _not_ be happening. He was not going in to labor. He just _wasn’t_. Even as the denial scream through him, the logical part of his brain asserted itself and refused to let him believe the lie. He knew the truth—this was real. This wasn’t false labor, wasn’t those practice contractions that had so annoyed him lately. This was labor. Real, honest to God labor. It didn’t matter that he was only thirty six weeks and five days. This baby was coming—today. “God, you’re just like your Papa already. You can’t do anything on anyone else’s schedule. Oh, no, not a LeBeau. You’ve just got to make your own entrance.”

Fear coiled in him. He rubbed his hands over his stomach and tried to calm himself down. Complaining about how early it was wouldn’t get him anywhere. Thirty six weeks was not that bad. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation who have no other health problems generally do fine and they often only need a short stay in the NICU before they head home.

But he wasn’t ready! He didn’t want to have the baby here, in these sterile labs. He wanted to be at the hospital with Dr. Nu in attendance. Dammit, he wanted Remy to be there with him!

He rode the contraction out and noted the time on the clock. While he waited he refused to let any thoughts of panic or anything else slip in. He sat there and rubbed his stomach and focused on breathing normally and keeping calm. It worked up until the next contraction started and he saw how much time had passed. Ten minutes. The contractions were ten minutes apart. How had they gotten so close together already without him realizing it? The answer to that came rather quickly and he cursed himself. His back had been throbbing off and on all day and he’d passed it off as just back pain. _Stupid, stupid idiot._

A noise on the far side of the room had Spencer's head snapping up. Had Sinister seen him? Had he noticed that Spencer was awake and figured out what was going on? _I’m not ready for this. Please, please, I’m not ready for this, not yet_.

The door opened and Spencer could only stare. It wasn’t Sinister who came in through the door—it was Remy.

The Cajuns’ eyes found Spencer quickly and he shot across the room straight to him. “Spencer!” His name was just a happy whisper in the air. Spencer was still staring in shock when Remy reached him and caught his face, yanking him in for a kiss. “Y’r okay.” Remy murmured against his lips. “ _Merci Dieu_ , y’r okay.”

“You found me.” Spencer couldn’t believe it. He didn’t bother asking _how_ Remy had found him. He was just so grateful that he had.

Remy gave him another kiss and then let go of his face. “ _Oui_. An I’m sorry, _mais_ we aint got time to waste. Alex is waiting outside an he’s called in backup. Don’t know when dey’re gonna get here, t’ough. We need to get moving.” He looked Spencer over and noticed the cuff on his ankle. With a growl, he dropped down, his hands quickly going to it to try and figure out how to get it free. It only took him a minute and then he had Spencer's ankle free and he was pushing back upwards. “C’mon, _bébé_ , let’s move.”

Spencer let himself be pulled up to his feet, one hand bracing on the bed to help his balance. But once he was on his feet he stopped. “Remy, just a minute.”

“We aint got a minute, cher. We need to get out of here, now.”

“But, Remy…”

“Shh!” Remy held a hand up in a bid for silence, cocking his head. The next second a low curse burst from him and he had his Bo spinning in his hand. “We’re gonna get de hell out of here, now.”

The door slid open and Spencer watched as Sinister casually strolled in. The man didn’t even bat an eye at the sight of the furious Cajun. If anything, he looked almost amused. “I think not, Remington. Not unless you want your partner and child to die.”

“Gambit aint letting y’ kill dem.” Remy snarled out furiously.

“I won’t have to.” Looking beyond Remy, Sinister met Spencer's eyes. “How far apart are your contractions now, Dr. Summers?”

His words had the desired effect. They did exactly what he’d been aiming for and they stunned Remy, making him turn. Wide eyes found Spencer's face and then dropped down to where Spencer was holding his stomach, then back up to his face. Spencer blew out a breath and tried to smile, though he was afraid it came off as more of a grimace. “I was trying to warn you.” He said sheepishly. Another contraction was starting to build and he checked the clock again. “It’s been about nine minutes thirty seconds since the last one.”

“You are three hours from the nearest hospital and even further from any doctor that specializes in male carriers.” The words were delivered in that same calm, cold tone, just a practical statement of facts. “I am your only option right now. Without me, they will die.” Pausing, Sinister shrugged one shoulder. “It makes no matter to me. Alive or dead, I will still get what I want.”

The contraction built and Spencer darted a hand out towards his partner. Remy caught it instantly, holding on as Spencer clenched tight and tried to breathe. “He’s right.”

“Spencer…”

“He’s right, Remy.” Spencer repeated firmly, cutting him off. He clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. “There’s no time. Your daughter is impatient. She’s coming _now_.”

There was no choice here. No matter how he hated it, there was no other choice. What else could they do? Spencer looked up at the man he loathed and his eyes crackled with the power he was fighting to restrain. “Let’s do this. Now.”

CXCX

Spencer wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to make it through what came next if Remy hadn’t been there. Though the rescue attempt had fell through, Spencer was still grateful that his partner was at his side as he lay stretched out on the surgical table. If Remy hadn’t been there, he wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to control the panic. Letting doctors near him was always hard for him to do; letting Sinister stand down there and prepare to cut him open was terrifying. He was having a hard time keeping hold of his control and keeping his emotions and electricity from leaking out around him.

This was all wrong. Spencer stared down the length of his body to where Sinister stood preparing his tools and all he could think was that this was all wrong.

There was no mirror here. He’d wanted there to be a mirror so he could watch the whole process. Nothing was the way it was supposed to be. He wasn’t in the hospital, Dr. Nu wasn’t here, his friends and family weren’t out in the waiting room. There was no mirror to watch with, no friendly nursing staff that he’d already met at the hospital meet-and-greet that Dr. Nu had set up. The only thing that was right here was that Remy was standing right there beside his head. But nothing else was the way it should be. He hadn’t wanted this to happen. He hadn’t wanted his child to be born _here_ with Sinister as her physician. There was no telling what the man would do while he was down there. Spencer still had a hard time believing that the man had done all this for something as simple as blood. Blood samples could’ve been stolen from the hospital no matter what Sinister said otherwise. He could’ve found a way. So why take them? Why bring them here? What was so important about this delivery that Sinister had to bring him here? He shuddered to think on it.

One of Remy’s hands settled on his forehead and stroked back some of his hair. “Hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay. Calm down, Spencer. Y’ gotta be calm fo’ y’ and de child.” He bent low, warm eyes showing over the mask. With one gloved hand he pulled the mask down and pressed a kiss against Spencer's lips. “Relax, _bébé_. It’s gonna be okay.”

“Remington, mask.” Sinister said firmly.

At another time it might’ve been amusing to watch the way that Remy rolled his eyes before snapping the mask back into place. Right now, nothing was amusing. Nothing.

Remy turned to check the machines beside him. The epidural they’d given Spencer for this had seemed to relax him enough that he wasn’t messing with any of the machines anymore. They all worked perfectly fine. Remy checked them and did something just out of Spencer's line of vision before he turned back to him. The way his eyes crinkled told Spencer that he was smiling at him. “Y’r doing fine, Spencer. Any moment now and we’ll get dis started. Y’ just hang in dere.”

“Don’t let him have her.” Spencer whispered hoarsely. His eyes darted down to Sinister and then back to Remy. “I don’t care what happens, you keep her safe, you hear me?” _She comes first_. Those words were unspoken yet understood between them. Spencer didn’t care that Sinister heard him say it, either. He wanted the man to know. He wanted him to know that they would protect this child no matter what it took.

“I told you, I do not want your child.” Sinister reminded him calmly. He turned back towards Spencer and those cold eyes had Spencer shivering. “Now, let us get started.”

Spencer watched it all as best as he could. There wasn’t much that he could see from this angle, not without straining his neck. But it became a little easier to lay there when Remy stepped down closer to his stomach, lending his hands and taking up the role of nurse. The whole world seemed to be so surreal. Spencer felt like he was in a dream. It didn’t feel real. It _couldn’t_ be real.

Then they lifted out his baby and he heard that first cry.

The sound reached out to him at almost the same time that his empathy picked up the emotions—emotions he hadn’t realized until this moment that he’d been feeling for quite a while now. Those two things made every very, very real. Spencer's eyes were glued there as he watched Remy take the baby, bundling it into a waiting blanket. He didn’t pay attention as the cord was cut, or any of the afterbirth taken care of. All his focus was on the man currently holding the single most important thing in the world. Spencer wanted nothing more than to reach his arms out but he couldn’t. He could only lay there and wait those long, long minutes until Remy came over to his head, that tiny bundle swaddled in a blanket and . “Y’ were right, cher.” Remy said, his voice gone thick with emotion. “It’s a girl. A daughter.”

Spencer turned his head and got his first glimpse of his daughter’s face. She was beautiful. So, so beautiful. His vision blurred a little and he blinked his eyes a few times, trying to clear his eyes. Was he crying? He was. He could feel it now, the tears sliding down his cheeks to pool in his ears. “She’s beautiful.” He whispered.

A slightly woozy feeling washed through him. He’d been feeling it for a while now and had figured it was just something from the anesthesia. But it was a little stronger now and he felt a tingling spread across his skin and he knew what it was. This wasn’t from the anesthesia. Spencer's eyes went wide and shot up to Remy’s face. He knew his partner could see the power crackling there. “Get back.” He told Remy quickly. “Get back, Remy. Get her back!”

He held on for as long as he could but his control was worn thin. Stress of the past few weeks and his own fears during this delivery took what little control he had left and burned it away. The power that he’d fought to hold in was slipping out of his control. He could feel. Everything else started to fade away as he felt the power build and build. He never saw Remy wrap their daughter up tight and run, never saw as Sinister stepped away. All he could feel was building power.

Remy was almost to the doors when they burst inwards and their rescue team came racing in. The Cajun never stopped his movement. “Out!” he shouted at them. “Out, out!”

Thank God, they listened to him. They tore out of the room and around the corner and Remy had barely enough time to snap at Jean “Make a TK shield, now!” before they all heard the loud scream and the crackle of a large blast of energy. Jean threw her hands up and shielded them just as a wave of pure electrical energy came pouring out. Remy ducked down and curled his body protectively around the bundle in his arms and prayed with everything that he had—for Jean’s shield to hold, for them to be safe, and please, dear God, let Spencer be okay. _Please, God, let him be okay._


	18. Chapter 18

When Spencer opened his eyes, the very first thing that greeted him was the sight of his oldest brother’s sleeping, _drooling_ face. That was so very at odds with the last thing that Spencer remembered that he actually closed his eyes and opened them a few times just to see if maybe the picture would change. But, no, it stayed the same. Spencer stared at him and wondered if maybe he was dreaming. Things definitely had this sort of soft, floating feeling to them. Then again, if he was dreaming about his brother drooling beside his bed, he might need to see someone once he woke. There had to be something wrong with him to dream about that.

The last thing that Spencer remembered was lying on that table in Sinister’s labs. He’d been lying there fighting so hard to hold on to his control and failing miserably at it. Things were a little foggy there, but he thought he could remember telling Remy to get back, to get himself and their daughter out of there, and then he remembered the electricity filling him up to the brim until there was no way he could hold it back anymore. It burst from him and the whole world had whited out. Now he was waking up here, in what was so obviously a hospital, and his brother was here but Remy and their daughter were nowhere in sight. Fear ripped its way through him.

Spencer felt more exhausted than he could ever remember feeling and it took a great amount of effort to make his mouth move. Fear gave him the added strength, though. He had to talk to Scott, had to ask him what happened. _Please, please, let them be okay. Please let them be okay!_ He licked dry lips and forced his throat to work. “Scotty.” His name came out so soft, so weak, but when he tried again, it was a little stronger, a little louder. “Scott. _Scotty_.”

It was the last one that did it. Spencer watched as Scott jerked like he’d been poked and his head snapped up. The sunglasses prevented him from seeing, but he knew that Scott’s eyes had most likely snapped open. There was only a second’s pause where Scott registered that Spencer's eyes were open and then he was sitting forward, one hand swiping across his mouth to wipe away that bit of drool, and his other hand was reaching out for Spencer. “Sherlock! You’re awake!”

“The baby.” Spencer croaked out. Those were the most important words right now. The fear was gripping him even tighter, making his heart race, and his eyes were wide as they stayed locked on Scott’s face.

Those two words were all he needed. As always, Scott understood him. He caught Spencer's hand up in his and gave it a tight squeeze. “She’s fine. Her and Remy are both fine. They’re down at the nursery right now. Remy’s been splitting his time between the two of you.”

Relief crashed through Spencer like a tidal wave. They were okay. His eyes slid closed and the tension drained out of his body. His family was okay. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if something had happened to them. If he’d accidentally hurt them, it would’ve destroyed him. But they were okay. They were safe.

Scott’s free hand brushed over Spencer's forehead and Spencer opened his eyes once more to find that his brother was smiling down at him. “It’s okay, Sherlock. Everyone’s fine. You didn’t hurt anybody.”

“What happened?” Spencer asked softly.

“We arrived right when Remy came barreling out.” Scott told him, continuing to stroke lightly at Spencer's hair. “Jean put up a barrier to keep us safe. When she let it down, we went in and found you just lying there on the table. Sinister was nowhere in sight.”

Spencer nodded weakly. “He left when Remy ran.”

“Well, he’d already stitched you up, so with Hank’s help and Jean’s TK, we got you out of there and loaded onto the Bird. You were out like a light. Hank’s pretty sure that your emotions fueled your energy, building it up inside of you sort of like a volcano, and your shields finally couldn’t handle it anymore. It just burst out of you.” Worry colored Scott’s voice and in that moment, Spencer could see the stress lines on his brother’s face, the tired and drawn look there that suggested he’d probably been sitting beside Spencer's bed worrying for a little while now. Sure enough, “You scared the hell out of me, Spence. You burnt your energy down to almost nothing. It’s been a day and a half since we brought you in and you’ve been out the whole time.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Just, don’t do it again.” Amusement curved Scott’s lips. “I’m not as young as I used to be, you know. I don’t think my heart can take it.”

A weak chuckle slid from Spencer. “Old man.”

“Watch it, you little whippersnapper.”

Memories were tugging at Spencer, things that didn’t quite make sense yet, and he struggled to put them into words. “Sinister.” He finally managed to say. “What…what did he want?”

The worried look that cross Scott’s face only served to fuel Spencer's worry. “We don’t know.” Scott said. He let out a frustrated sigh. “Things were a bit hectic when we left. Rem went back, tried to see if he could get anything out of the system, but the base had already been cleaned out. We can’t figure out any reason why he took you guys. Did he say anything—anything at all?”

“Said he wanted some blood.” Spencer closed his eyes, the memory of that moment washing over him. “Said he didn’t want her, just some blood, an to make sure it was a safe delivery.”

“Why would he care about your delivery?”

“I don’t know.” That was the question that had plagued him through his captivity. What were Sinister’s true motives? What was it that he really wanted? Not knowing was terrifying. With him gone and his base cleared, would they ever know? He was scared that he didn’t know the answers to any of that.

The urge to sleep was starting to tug at Spencer again. He still felt so drained, just utterly exhausted, but he didn’t want to go to sleep. Not yet. There was something that was very important that he wanted to do before he did. Hearing that Remy and their baby were okay was one thing—he needed to see them. He needed to see that little life that had been inside of him, needed to hold her in his arms. He’d only seen her for a moment and then everything had gone to hell. He _needed_ to see her. “Scotty?”

“What is it, honey?”

“Can you…” He paused, a yawn breaking through. “…get them? I wanna see them.”

The hand in Spencer's hair smoothed it back again and Scott’s voice went gentle. “Maybe you should sleep a little more first, Spencer. You look beat.”

Spencer shook his head and forced his eyes to stay open. _Not yet._ “Please? I need to see them.”

For a moment Scott just looked down at him. Then he sighed and nodded. “I’ll go get them.”

It was a battle for Spencer to stay awake once Scott left the room. There was nothing and no one to distract him from the exhaustion that was dragging at him. He must’ve fallen asleep, though, because the next thing he knew there was a hand touching his face and he was blinking his eyes open to one of the most beautiful sights. Remy was right there in front of him, gorgeous eyes uncovered and so full of warmth and love. “Remy.” Spencer murmured happily, leaning in to Remy’s hand. He made a soft, sleepy sound and fought not to shut his eyes again. This was a much better site to wake up to. “Much better than Scott drooling.”

Multiple sets of laughter came around him and Spencer realized that it wasn’t just Remy that was here. That was proved when Scott called out “I do not drool!”

“You so totally drool.” Alex shot back with another laugh. “I bet Jean has to put sponges in your pillows just to absorb it all.”

As those two started to bicker, Remy never took his eyes off Spencer, nor moved his hand off his face. “ _Mon amour. Mon cœur. Je t’aime._ ”

“Love you too.” Spencer sighed out. He blinked eyes that felt far too heavy and tried to make himself stay awake for the most important part of this, the part he’d been waiting for.

Remy seemed to realize that. He bent down and kissed Spencer's forehead and then nudged carefully at his arm. “Pull y’r arm in fo’ a minute, cher. No, don’t move de rest of y’.” He added that warning when he saw Spencer trying to shift. “Just pull y’r arm in to y’r chest. Dere y’ go.” Once Spencer's arm was in, Remy very carefully sat down on the bed and then stretched himself out along Spencer's side. He got one arm around Spencer's shoulders and his other arm was reaching out. That was when Spencer noticed that Alex was moving up to them with a small, wrapped up bundle in his arms. Suddenly it wasn’t as hard to stay awake. That empty ache that Spencer had been feeling before down in his heart, it started to fade as Alex got closer. Spencer tried to sit up a little more eagerly but Remy’s arm kept him held in place. “Just rest, cher. She’s coming. Just sit right dere an let us help y’ out.”

He didn’t really have much of a choice. His body just wasn’t recovered enough to do a whole lot on its own. When Alex carefully handed the baby into Spencer and Remy’s waiting arms, Spencer realized why Remy had sat the way he had. Sitting like this, he was able to slide his arm under Spencer's, giving him the needed support to be able to hold up their daughter. Spencer barely paid any attention to it, though. All of his attention was on this wonderful, beautiful little bundle that now sat in his arms. The emptiness was gone now. She filled it. She perfectly filled that little place in his heart where he had carried her emotions even without realizing it for the last nine months. He could feel them now, warm and sort of fuzzy, not quite that strong yet. There was a sort of contentment edged by sleepiness. “She just ate.” Remy murmured in his ear. “I was just burping her when I felt y’ wake up. Was halfway here when I met Scotty in de hallway.”

“She’s so beautiful.” Spencer whispered. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. That sweet, sweet face, the little mouth that already he could see had the slight natural pout to it just like Remy’s did. Then she blinked open sleepy eyes and Spencer let out a soft “ _Oh_.” Her eyes were just so _beautiful_. So uniquely beautiful. She didn’t have the black sclera like her Papa, for which Spencer imagined Remy was quite happy, but her irises—they were like a stunning mixture of Remy and Spencer. The irises themselves were red, just like her Papa’s, but they were flecked black that sparked and danced like little black fireworks, just like Spencer's colors danced in his. “Look at her, Remy.”

“ _Je sais_. Aint she beautiful?” Remy leaned in, resting his head against Spencer's, and happiness was just radiating from him.

“She is that.” Scott chimed in. He and Alex were standing on Spencer's side of the bed, smiling as they looked at them. Spencer could see that she’d already charmed them; all of them.

“Rem hasn’t told us yet.” Alex said suddenly, looking up to Spencer. “What’s her name?”

Spencer cast a surprised look at Remy, who smiled and kissed his forehead. “We’d narrowed it down to two b’fore, _mais_ I knew y’ had one y’ wanted, so I figured I’d wait fo’ y.”

It was Spencer's turn to smile. He tipped his head back down and looked back into those gorgeous electric eyes. “Charlotte.” He said, lifting one finger to trace it over the smooth skin of her cheek. “Charlotte Marielle LeBeau.”

“It’s perfect.” Remy said. He snuggled in a little more, bending down and dropping a kiss on the crown of her dark brown hair. And it was perfect. In that moment, with his family around him, Spencer thought that nothing in the world could’ve been more perfect than this.


End file.
